Keiichi Isaka

Does the use of a uterine manipulator in robotic surgery for early‐stage endometrial cancer affect oncological outcomes?

AbstractBackgroundTo investigate the impact of the use of a uterine manipulator in robot‐assisted surgery for early‐stage endometrial cancer on oncological outcome.MethodsEighty six robotic surgeries and sixty seven open surgeries were performed for early‐stage endometrial cancer. Disease‐free survival and overall survival at 5 years, and surgical results and postoperative complications were compared between surgeries. In robotic surgery, a uterine manipulator was used in all cases.ResultsThere was no significant difference in oncological outcome between surgeries. Robotic surgery showed significantly longer operative time, less blood loss, and shorter hospital stay compared to open surgery. In robotic surgery, complications occurred significantly less frequently, and no patients required conversion to laparotomy. There were no clear correlations of positive lavage cytology with The International Federation of Gynecology nd Obstetrics stage, recurrence, and site of recurrence in either surgery.ConclusionsThe use of a uterine manipulator during robotic surgery for early‐stage endometrial cancer did not influence recurrence or survival.

Introduction of gasless laparoscopic surgery as a minimally invasive procedure for endometrial cancer and its usefulness from the viewpoint of the learning curve

Abstract Background We investigated the usefulness of gasless laparoscopic surgery (GLS) using a subcutaneous abdominal wall lifting method for endometrial cancer. Methods We studied 105 patients with early endometrial cancer who underwent GLS (55) or open surgery (50). A uterine manipulator was used in all GLS cases. We compared operative time, blood loss, number of lymph nodes removed, hospital stay, perioperative complications, cases converted to laparotomy, and recurrence and survival rates. We also studied the learning curve and proficiency of GLS. Results The GLS group had significantly longer operative time (265 vs. 191 min), reduced blood loss (184 vs. 425 mL), shorter hospital stay (9.9 vs. 17.6 days), and fewer postoperative complications (1.8 vs. 12.0%) than the open group. No case was converted to laparotomy. Disease-free and overall survival rates at 4 years postoperatively (GLS vs. open groups) were 98.0 versus 97.8 and 100 versus 95.7%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the groups. Regarding the learning curve for GLS, two different phases were observed in approximately 10 cases. Operator 2, who was not accustomed to laparoscopic surgery, showed a significant reduction in operative time in the later phase 2. Conclusions GLS for endometrial cancer results in less bleeding, shorter hospital stay, and fewer complications than open surgery. Recurrence and survival rates were not significantly different from those of open surgery. This technique may be introduced in a short time for operators who are skilled at open surgery but not used to laparoscopic surgery.

Interim analysis of robot-assisted radical hysterectomy in Japan: a multicenter, prospective interventional single-arm clinical trial

To investigate the efficacy and safety of robot-assisted radical hysterectomy (RARH) as a minimally invasive procedure in patients with cervical cancer that is curable by surgery. This study was a multicenter, open-label, single-arm clinical trial. The short-term outcome of open radical hysterectomy was used as the historical control. The primary endpoint was successful surgery with minimal blood loss (300 mL or less) and negative surgical margins. Secondary endpoints included surgical outcomes, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) rates. Overall, 101 cases were enrolled in this study at 10 participating medical institutions and 100 underwent RARH. Among these cases, 89 met the primary endpoint, exceeding the threshold of 0.75 set by the lower limit. At 2 years postoperatively, 17 cases had recurrences, 4 were classified as International federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Stage IB1 or lower, while 13 as IB2 or higher. There were three deaths, including one in Stage IB1 and two in Stage IIB in the second postoperative year, all of which had lymph node metastasis. The oncological outcomes for all cases showed RFS and OS rates of 82.7% and 96.9%, respectively, over a median observation period of 37 months. For cases with Stage IB1, RFS and OS were 94.1% and 98.5%, respectively. RARH demonstrated a significant reduction in blood loss while ensuring radicality, indicating the safety and efficacy of this procedure compared to conventional RH. Although it is conceivable that the results of this oncological analysis could change, as the data collection has not been fully completed, we plan to further evaluate the oncologic outcomes of RARH in future studies. UMIN-CTR: UMIN000022278, registered on 11th May 2016.