Comparison of long-term outcomes of laparoscopic and robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

In this study, we compared the long-term oncological and functional outcomes of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) and robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN) performed in the treatment of renal tumors. The data of 142 patients (RAPN = 71, LPN = 71) were evaluated. Demographic data, perioperative and postoperative outcomes, long-term (5-year) overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates of the patients were compared between the two groups. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant The mean follow-up time was 61.38 months. There were more complex tumors in the RAPN group (P = 0.014). The duration of warm ischemia time (WIT) was shorter in the RAPN group (P = 0.019). Perioperative and postoperative outcomes were similar. There were no differences between the groups in terms of 5-year metastasis-free survival, OS, and CSS rates. Hypertension, diabetes, and preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were the predictive factors for renal insufficiency; and preoperative eGFR, WIT, and positive surgical margin were the predictive factors for 5-year CSS. We concluded that RAPN is an important minimally invasive treatment method for partial nephrectomy with long-term favorable results, especially in complex tumors. Comparisons of two methods should be made with comparative, prospective, randomized, high case number studies, and the place of RAPN in the treatment of these tumors should be clarified.