Minimally invasive surgery for anal cancer improves patient outcomes compared to open approaches.

• Robotic APR showed lower 30-day mortality rates (1.2% vs 2.2% for open) and reduced 90-day mortality (3.2% vs 4.9% for open).
• Laparoscopic APR also had lower mortality and similar survival rates to robotic APR, with a five-year survival of 54%.

Choosing robotic or laparoscopic techniques can lead to shorter hospital stays and fewer complications for selected patients.

• Robotic APR reduced positive margin rates to 14.4% versus 17.8% for open surgery.