Transoral robotic surgery: A multicenter study to assess feasibility, safety, and surgical margins

Abstract

Based on this multicenter study, TORS appears to be safe, feasible, and as such play an important role in the multidisciplinary management of head and neck cancer.

A Multi-institution Pooled Analysis of G-Tube Dependence in Patients With Oropharyngeal Cancer Treated With Definitive IMRT

“…At a median follow-up of 345 days, they reported a crude g-tube dependence rate of 6.7%. 21 These modest rates of g-tube dependence in surgically treated patients are often compared to cited long-term g-tube dependence rates for nonsurgical therapy range as high as 14-31%, 3, 5, 9, 22 leading some to conclude that the long-term swallowing function seen with transoral surgery +/− adjuvant chemotherapy and IMRT represent an improvement over nonsurgical outcomes. 23 These oft-cited historical numbers, however, are derived from patients treated with conventional radiotherapy, many of whom were treated with relatively aggressive radiotherapy fractionation and concurrent cytotoxic chemotherapy.…”

Revisiting vascular contraindications for transoral robotic surgery for oropharyngeal cancer

“…The use of the da Vinci Robot for T1 and T2 lesions was approved by the FDA in 2009, and in light of the limited size of the resection in these indications most teams allow the surgical defect to heal by secondary intentions given the good oncologic and functional outcomes that have been reported 2, 7, 8, 9. However, the presence of either a retropharyngeal internal carotid artery (ICA) or a vascular proximity that is likely to result in an intraoperative exposure of the carotid bulb or the ICA were initially proposed to be contraindications for TORS due to the risk of a catastrophic vascular injury 2, 10.…”

Management of the Airway in Transoral Robotic Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer

“…shown that it is safe and effective for the treatment of diseases of the upper aerodigestive tract [1] . Clinical experience has made it particularly useful for the surgical treatment of head and neck cancer [2] .…”