Robotic Surgery Improves Oncologic Outcomes in Rectal Cancer Patients with Unfavorable Characteristics After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy

The study compared long-term oncologic outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic surgeries in rectal cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) followed by radical resection. After propensity score matching, the robotic group demonstrated higher 5-year disease-free survival and local recurrence-free survival rates compared to the laparoscopic group. The advantage of the robotic approach was particularly evident in patients with unfavorable factors and stage III disease after NCRT. These findings highlight the potential benefits of robotic surgery for improving oncologic outcomes in this patient population.