Researchers Say Robot-Assisted Surgery Shows Clinical Advantages Over Laparoscopic Surgery for Gastric Cancer
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A large nationwide Japanese study found that robotic gastrectomy offers clinical advantages over laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer patients, including less blood loss, fewer conversions to open surgery, and shorter hospital stays. Researchers compared matched pairs from Japan's National Clinical Database: 9,743 pairs undergoing distal gastrectomy and 1,617 pairs undergoing total gastrectomy between January 2023 and December 2024. The study, led by Fujita Health University and published in the journal Gastric Cancer, found robotic procedures had 33% to 40% less blood loss and a 50% to 65% lower likelihood of conversion to open surgery. For distal gastrectomy, robotic surgery also resulted in fewer serious postoperative complications and intra-abdominal infections, but these benefits came with longer operating times—about 50 minutes longer on average. Robotic total gastrectomy did not significantly reduce major complications, likely because it is more technically demanding and performed less frequently, giving surgeons fewer opportunities to gain experience. The researchers noted that absolute differences in outcomes were small but consistent across measures, and attributed better results than an earlier pre-insurance study to improvements in robotic technology, increased surgical experience, and expanded training.
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