Robot-assisted mediastinoscopic esophagectomy significantly reduces complications for esophageal cancer patients.

• Left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy incidence dropped from 38.2% to 19.1% (p = 0.022).
• Intraoperative blood loss decreased from 251.0 ml to 99.8 ml (p = 0.001).

Consider incorporating robot assistance as a standard approach in select minimally invasive cases without compromising oncologic outcomes.

• Comparable operative time, complication rates, and lymph node yield between the two techniques.