The Role of Robotic Surgery in Treating Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Malignancies

Abstract

Background The advent of robotic surgery has promised to make minimally invasive surgery for pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancer accessible for surgeons who find the laparoscopic approach too challenging to master. This chapter explores the premise and discusses robotics’ evolution, current status, and future potentials in treating hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer surgery through reviewed articles, industry published resources, and the literature related to robotic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery from January 2001 to December 2020. Result The unique advantages of the robotic surgical system help shorten the learning curve in complex hepatobiliary-pancreatic procedures, although at a higher financial cost than the traditional laparoscopic approach. Direct digital integration of new technologies into the robotic platform allows for unlimited potential applications and utilization of the system, especially in precision cancer surgery. Although the level of evidence was low, robotic hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancer surgery was statistically not inferior to the standard laparoscopic approach in both shortand long-term outcomes. Conclusion The role of robotics in treating hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer continues to evolve and should be considered exploratory at the current stage.