Current status and prospects of robotic gastric cancer surgery based on clinical research

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-8115.2026.08.002

Abstract

Abstract:

Safety and precision are the core pursuits driving the sustainable development of minimally invasive surgery. With advantages including high-definition three-dimensional visualization, stable and flexible instrument manipulation, and highly precise operations, robotic surgery is highly consistent with the developmental concepts of modern minimally invasive surgery. As an important branch of robotic surgery, robotic gastrectomy has undergone more than two decades of clinical exploration and iterative evolution, with its technical system becoming increasingly mature and achieving large-scale clinical application. Clinical studies have confirmed that robotic gastrectomy yields superior short-term outcomes compared with laparoscopic gastrectomy; it can effectively reduce intraoperative blood loss and the incidence of postoperative complications, and also exhibits prominent advantages in key procedures such as dissection of lymph nodes and totally intracorporeal gastrointestinal reconstruction. The clinical application scenarios of robotic gastrectomy have been further expanded with the rapid development of domestically manufactured surgical robots, continuous innovation of single-port robotic systems and vigorous advancement of 5G-based remote robotic surgery. However, consensus has not yet been reached regarding its long-term oncological benefits, high-quality prospective evidence-based medical evidence remains relatively insufficient, and challenges such as prolonged operative time and high treatment costs have, to some extent, restricted its widespread adoption in primary-level hospitals. This review integrates clinical studies and cutting-edge advances in robotic gastrectomy from domestic and international perspectives, systematically elaborates the technical evolution, current clinical application status, predominant existing challenges, and future development directions of this surgical approach. The study aims to provide a theoretical reference for the standardized and high-quality development of domestic robotic gastric surgery in China and drive the continuous advancement of minimally invasive gastric cancer surgery toward precision, intelligence and affordability.

Key words: gastric neoplasm, robotic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, precision medicine, clinical research

CLC Number:

R735.2

Shi Yan, Lu Changchuan, Li Zhengyan. Current status and prospects of robotic gastric cancer surgery based on clinical research[J]. Journal of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Medical Science), 2026,(8): 1007-1014.

TrendMD

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