The use of robotic radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) is starting to increase in Korea and replace the utilization of open and laparoscopic RNU in patients with upper tract bladder cancer, according to a study published in Cancers.

This study analyzed the records of 61, 185, and 119 patients who underwent open, laparoscopic, and robotic RNU, respectively, from 2017 to 2020.

According to the results, RNU use increased from 9% in 2017 to 67% in 2021. The study found that the 3-year overall survival (OS) rates for open, laparoscopic, and robotic RNU were 91.8%, 90.4%, and 92.1%, respectively. There were no differences observed in the progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and OS as discerned by Kaplan‒Meier survival analysis. Multivariate analysis indicated that surgical approach did not predict PFS, CSS, or OS.

Overall, the results demonstrated that perioperative outcomes, 90-day complications, and oncological outcomes of robotic RNU were on par with that of open and laparoscopic RNU.

Reference: Bae H, Chung JH, Song W, et al. Robotic radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a trend analysis of utilization and a comparative study. Cancers (Basel). 2022;14(10):2497. doi:10.3390/cancers14102497

Keywords: Nephroureterectomy, robotic, trend, upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9139386/