“Robotic surgery in head and neck cancer: A review.”
Garg, A., R. C. Dwivedi, et al. (2010).
Oral Oncology.
The invasion of robotic technology in surgical fields cannot be ignored. Its success in various surgical disciplines especially in urology, cardiology, and gynaecology has set its own benchmarks. Extrapolation of similar results in head and neck is still in experimental stages and long term results are still eagerly awaited to truly establish its efficacy beyond awe and reality. Nonetheless, its future role in this area is inevitable given the encouraging results obtained so far. This article covers the inception to current application to speculation of robotic technology in complex area of head and neck surgery.
“Transoral robotic surgery and a paradigm shift in the management of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.”
Quon, H., B. W. O’Malley Jr, et al. (2010).
Journal of Robotic Surgery: 1-8.
Efforts to improve upon oncologic results for resectable oropharyngeal carcinoma over the past 40 years have yielded many treatment options. However, the two fundamental approaches, surgical and nonsurgical, have not been compared in a randomized trial. Both approaches can be effective and both can cause treatment-related swallowing complications. Early experience combining technological advancements with conformal radiotherapy and transoral robotic surgery suggests that the risk of swallowing complications may be reduced and that treatment outcomes may be improved through pathologic stratification and risk-adapted adjuvant therapy. This may also be a valid strategy upon which treatment de-intensification may be studied for human-papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal carcinoma due to its favorable prognosis. © 2010 Springer-Verlag London Ltd.