Textbook outcome and survival of robotic versus laparoscopic total gastrectomy for gastric cancer: A propensity score matched cohort study

Introduction Textbook outcome is a composite quality measurement of short-term outcomes for evaluating complex surgical procedures. We compared textbook outcome and survival of robotic total gastrectomy(RTG) with those of laparoscopic total gastrectomy(LTG).Methods We retrospectively reviewed 395patients(RTG,n = 74;LTG,n = 321) who underwent curative total gastrectomy for gastric cancer via minimally invasive approaches from 2009 to 2018. We performed propensity score matched analysis to adjust for potential selection bias. Textbook outcome included a negative resection margin, no intraoperative complication, retrieved lymph nodes > 15, no severe complication, no reintervention, no unplanned intensive care unit admission, hospitalisation ≤ 21days, no readmission after discharge, and no postoperative mortality. Survival outcomes included 5-year overall and relapse-free survival rates.Results After matching, 74patients in each group were selected. Textbook outcome was similar in the RTG and LTG groups(70.3% and 75.7%,respectively), although RTG required a longer operative time. The quality metric least often achieved was the presence of severe complications in both groups(77.0% in both groups). There were no differences in the 5-year overall survival rate(90.7% and 85.9%,respectively;log-rank P = 0.144) and relapse-free survival rate between the RTG and LTG groups(89.5% and 85.2%,respectively;log-rank P = 0.167).Conclusion Textbook outcome and survival outcome of RTG were comparable to those of LTG for gastric cancer.