Published online Jan 15, 2016. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v8.i1.8
Peer-review started: May 1, 2015
First decision: October 21, 2015
Revised: November 25, 2015
Accepted: December 8, 2015
Article in press: December 11, 2015
Published online: January 15, 2016
Processing time: 262 Days and 4.5 Hours
Minimally invasive surgery for gastric cancer is a relatively new research field, with convincing results mostly stemming from Asian countries. The use of the robotic surgery platform, thus far assessed as a safe procedure, which is also easier to learn, sets the background for a wider spread of minimally invasive technique in the treatment of gastric cancer. This review will cover the literature published so far, analyzing the pros and cons of robotic surgery and highlighting the remaining study questions.
Core tip: An important problem remains regarding the selection of the appropriate technique for a given gastric cancer case. Encouraging results are being published using the robotic technique, but the lack of homogenous study groups in terms of staging, comorbidities and adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies makes it hard to establish a clear indication for the robotic gastrectomy in gastric cancer. Carefully weighing the treatment options is especially important since there are more and more groups publishing acceptable results with the robotic technique.