ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Surg.
Sec. Colorectal and Proctological Surgery
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2025.1630237
Robotic versus 3D laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer: a single-center retrospective study of short-term outcomes and functional recovery
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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Background: Within the evolving landscape of precision medicine, robot-assisted surgery has emerged as a valuable tool in rectal cancer management. However, comprehensive evidence regarding its safety and clinical efficacy remains limited. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 235 patients with middle and low rectal cancer who underwent surgical resection from January 2020 to March 2023. Comprehensive perioperative data, including baseline characteristics, intraoperative parameters, and postoperative outcomes, were systematically collected and analyzed. The International Prostate Symptoms Score, International Erectile Function Index, and Female Sexual Function Index were utilized to assess postoperative organ function recovery. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of functional recovery and postoperative complications. All patients were prospectively followed for up to 3 years, with survival outcomes evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: Robotic surgery demonstrated significantly longer operative duration compared to 3D laparoscopic surgery (162.0±44.0 vs. 149.0±41.0 min, p<0.05), yet resulted in significantly reduced intraoperative blood loss (51.0±34.0 vs. 63.0±43.5 mL, p=0.010), albeit with substantially higher procedural costs (93808±1334 vs. 71863±1220 yuan, p<0.05). Notably, the robotic approach yielded superior lymph node retrieval, facilitated earlier detection of pathological stages, promoted enhanced recovery of urogenital function, and was associated with a reduced incidence of severe postoperative complications. Multivariable analysis revealed that robotic surgery was an independent predictor of improved urinary function recovery at 3 months (OR=3.45, 95% CI: 1.82-6.54, p<0.001) and enhanced sexual function recovery at 6 months (male: OR=2.89, 95% CI: 1.41-5.93, p=0.004; female: OR=3.12, 95% CI: 1.23-7.89, p=0.017). Both surgical approaches demonstrated comparable baseline characteristics and long-term survival outcomes (p>0.05). Conclusion: Robotic surgical systems demonstrate comparable safety and efficacy to traditional laparoscopy for rectal cancer resection, while offering distinct advantages including reduced intraoperative bleeding, improved pathological staging accuracy, and accelerated postoperative recovery of urinary and reproductive function. Both procedures exhibit similar short-term efficacy and safety profiles, with no significant difference in long-term survival rates.
Keywords: rectal cancer, robotic surgery, tumor resection, Evaluation of efficacy, Retrospective analysis REFERENCES Robotic versus 3D laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer: a single-center retrospective study of short-term outcomes and functional recovery Rectal cancer, retrospective analysis
Received: 17 May 2025; Accepted: 15 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Zhang, Guo, Sun and Ren. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shuangyi Ren, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
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