Robotic surgery for GI cancer in Asia; Korean experience of robotic gastrectomy

Robotic surgery has evolved to address several critical problems with laparoscopic surgery and improve even further on the surgeon-augmenting capability of performing complex operations. The clinical applications of robotics in general surgery are broad, spanning from bariatrics, hernias, foregut, colorectal, and solid organs. The global numbers of robotic gastrointestinal surgeries are increasing. However, the evidence base for robotic gastrointestinal surgery does not yet support its widespread adoption or justify its cost.

In the meantime, Asian surgeons have developed standardized robotic gastrointestinal surgical procedures. Moreover, a lot of evidence regarding the safety of robotic gastrointestinal surgeries is coming from Asia. As for gastric cancer, pivotal studies have been performed mainly in Asia and novel robotic application for gastric cancer surgery is also being developed in Asia.

In this presentation, I will critically appraise current research topics related to robotic gastrointestinal surgery, mainly based on the Korean experience of gastric cancer surgery. I will also discuss future perspectives, existing and new technologies, and requirements for the development of robotic gastrointestinal surgery.