Robotic and laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer: comparative insights into perioperative performance and three-year survival outcomes.

Background: The primary treatment for gastric cancer (GC) is surgical resection, particularly for locally advanced cases. While laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) has shown short- and long-term benefits, robotic gastrectomy (RG) offers enhanced precision and may lead to better outcomes, especially in advanced-stage disease.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 1538 patients with pathological Stage I-III GC who underwent RG or LG between 2014 and 2021. Propensity score matching created 466 matched pairs. Perioperative outcomes, 3 year overall survival (OS), 3 year recurrence-free survival (RFS), and recurrence patterns were compared between RG and LG.

Results: RG demonstrated significantly shorter operative time (235.5 vs. 242.5 min, p = 0.001), less blood loss (19.1 vs. 33.4 ml, p < 0.001), and shorter hospital stay (7.9 vs. 9.7 days, p < 0.001). Overall complications did not differ significantly (p = 0.183), but RG had lower rates of anastomotic leakage (p = 0.045) and pancreatic fistula (p = 0.024). No significant differences in OS were observed in the overall cohort or by stage. Similarly, RFS showed no significant differences in the overall cohort (3 year RFS: RG 86.81% vs. LG 83.04%, p = 0.1347). By stage, no differences were found in stage I or II, but in stage III, RG showed better 3 year RFS (67.52% vs. 52.97%, p = 0.0424). RG also had lower recurrence rates (9.0% vs. 14.8%, p = 0.0061), with fewer liver (p = 0.0069) and lymph node metastases (p = 0.0223).

Conclusions: RG demonstrated superior short-term outcomes and comparable three-year OS to laparoscopic gastrectomy, with improved three-year RFS and reduced recurrence in Stage III, likely facilitated by earlier adjuvant chemotherapy initiation.