Robotic single site radical hysterectomy plus pelvic lymphadenectomy in gynecological cancers

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the feasibility and the safety of robotic single-site radical hysterectomy (RSSRH) plus pelvic lymphadenectomy (PL) in endometrial or cervical cancer. METHODS Patients with endometrial cancer (EC) International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage II, early cervical cancer (ECC) FIGO stage IB1 or locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) FIGO stage IB2-IIB with clinical response ≥50% after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) were enrolled in a prospective cohort trial. All cases were performed using the da Vinci Si Surgical Single Site System®. RESULTS Between April 2014 and November 2016, twenty patients were included in our pilot study. Three and 17 patients underwent type B1 or C1 RSSRH plus PL, respectively. The median age of patients was 46 years (range, 36-68 years) and the median body mass index was 23.5 kg/m² (range, 19.1-36.3 kg/m²). The median total operative time was 190 minutes (range, 90-310 minutes). The median blood loss was 75 mL (range, 20-700 mL) and the median number of pelvic lymph nodes removed was 16 (range, 5-27). No laparoscopic/laparotomic conversions were reported and the median time to discharge was 6 days (range, 4-16 days). No intra-operative complications occurred while 4 (20%) post-operative complications were reported: one pelvic abscess, one lymphorrea, one bowel perforation, and one vaginal dehiscence. CONCLUSION RSSRH plus PL is technically feasible in patients affected by gynecological cancer.