Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing outcomes between Open Radical Cystectomy (ORC), Laparoscopic Radical Cystectomy (LRC) and Robot-assisted Radical Cystectomy (RARC). RARC is to be compared to LRC and ORC and LRC compared to ORC. Material and methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, collating studies comparing RARC, LRC and ORC. Surgical and oncological outcome data were extracted and a meta-analysis was performed. Results: Twenty-four studies were selected with total of 2,104 cases analyzed. RARC had a longer operative time (OPT) compared to LRC with no statistical difference between length of stay (LOS) and estimated blood loss (EBL). RARC had a significantly shorter LOS, reduced EBL, lower complication rate and longer OPT compared to ORC. There were no significant differences regarding lymph node yield (LNY) and positive surgical margins (PSM.) LRC had a reduced EBL, shorter LOS and increased OPT compared to ORC. There was no significant difference regarding LNY. Conclusion: RARC is comparable to LRC with better surgical results than ORC. LRC has better surgical outcomes than ORC. With the unique technological features of the robotic surgical system and increasing trend of intra-corporeal reconstruction it is likely that RARC will become the surgical option of choice.
SummaryNo conflict of interest declared. my (RARC) has since emerged as a viable alternative. RARC has been reported to be associated with fewer complications compared to LRC (2) and the appeal of the robotic surgical system has led to the adoption of the procedure worldwide. However the production of high-quality evidence that measures the relative merits of ORC, LRC and RARC is lacking with surgeons having to rely on systematic review. This article aims to compare surgical and oncological outcomes of ORC, LRC and RARC.
METHODS
Eligibility criteriaData were collected on all patients over the age of 60 with muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing RARC, LRC or ORC. Surgical outcomes were; operative time (OPT), estimated blood loss (EBL), length of stay (LOS) and complication rate 90 days post-operatively. Oncological outcomes were; lymph node yield (LNY) and positive surgical margins (PSM). Comparisons were made between RARC, LRC and ORC and the outcomes of interest measured included both surgical and oncological outcomes. The studies forming the current meta-analysis include comparative studies, either retrospective or prospective, as well as randomized control trials. For a study to be included in our analysis it had to fulfill the following criteria. The study had to: -Compare outcome measures of two or all three surgical techniques (ORC, LRC and RARC). -Use quantitative data for at least one outcome measure.-Be a high quality study.If it was one of two studies that were produced by the same institution, it was ensured the data were mutually exclusive. Studies were excluded if they: -Lacked reporting of the desired outcome measures listed above or presented the data in such a way that...