Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report our initial experience and short-term results in post-chemotherapy robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RA-RPLND) for advanced testicular cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed prospectively collected data of 5 patients who underwent post-chemotherapy RA-RPLND between August 2017 and May 2018. All patients had a diagnosis of non-seminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT) of testis and received three or four cycles of BEP chemotherapy for their clinical stage IIC disease before the surgery. Perioperative parameters (operation time, estimated blood loss and intraoperative complications) and postoperative findings (change in hematocrit, duration of hospitalization and postoperative complications) were noted. Pathological outcomes and postoperative radiological imaging in the 3(rd) month were investigated. RESULTS: RA-RPLND was completed successfully in all patients, and none of them required conversion to open surgery or early intervention. The median operation time was 309 minutes (range, 275-360), and median estimated blood loss was 180 mL (range, 150-210). One patient required postoperative transfusion of 1U red blood cells. The histologic examination of the specimens revealed necrosis in 3, and mature teratoma in 2 patients. The median hospitalization time after surgery was 2 days. During a median follow-up of 10 months (range 7-12), there were no retroperitoneal recurrences or distant metastasis in radiological imaging. No major complication (Clavien ≥3) or death occurred. The only minor complication was transfusion of red blood cells in one patient (Clavien 2) and the overall complication rate was 20 percent. CONCLUSION: Post-chemotherapy RA-RPLND appears to be a feasible and oncologically safe procedure with acceptable operative morbidity. However, this technique should be applied in centers highly experienced in robotic surgery, considering that RPLND is a surgery with fatal complications.