Feasibility, clinical outcomes, and learning curves of robotic-assisted colorectal cancer surgery in a high-volume district general hospital: a cohort study.

Introduction: Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) is one of the most influential surgical advances with widespread clinical and health-economic benefits. West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust was the first in the UK to simultaneously integrate two CMR Surgical Versius robots. This study aims to investigate clinical outcomes of RAS, explore surgeon learning curves and assess the feasibility of implementation within a district general hospital (DGH).

Methods: A prospective cohort study of 100 consecutive patient data were collected between July 2022 and August 2023, including demographics, operative and clinical variables, and compared with laparoscopic surgery (LS) data from the National Bowel Cancer Audit. Surgeon learning curves were analysed using sequential surgical and console times.

Results: In the RAS cohort, the median age was 70 (IQR 57-78 years) and 60% were male. Retrieval of a minimum of 12 lymph nodes significantly increased in RAS compared to LS (95% vs. 88%, P=0.05). The negative mesorectal margin rate was similar between RAS and LS (97% vs. 91%, P=0.10), as well as length of stay greater than 5 days (42% vs. 39%, P=0.27). For anterior resections performed by the highest volume surgeon (n=16), surgical time was reduced over 1 year by 35% (304.9-196.9 min), whilst console time increased by 111% (63.0-132.8 min).

Conclusions: Key quality performance indicators were either unchanged or improved with RAS. There is potential for improved theatre utilisation and cost-savings with increased RAS. This study demonstrates the feasibility and easy integration of robotic platforms into DGHs, offering wider training opportunities for the next generation of surgeons.