Transoral robotic surgery for recurrent cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract—Systematic review and meta‐analysis
John Hardman, Ziwei Liu, Grainne Brady, Justin Roe, Cyrus Kerawala, Francesco Riva, Peter Clarke, Dae Hyun Kim, Shreerang Bhide, Christopher M. Nutting, Kevin J. Harrington, Vinidh Paleri
Abstract
Abstract Background Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) for recurrent head and neck (H&N) cancer is an emerging but relatively infrequent procedure. Methods Systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies reporting survival data and functional outcomes for patients undergoing TORS for previously treated H&N cancers. Results Eight hundred seventy‐eight records were identified, of which eight were eligible for inclusion, covering 161 cases (range 1‐64). The pooled rates were as follows: 2‐year overall survival 73.8% (4 studies, range 70.6‐75.0, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 65.4 to 81.5, [ I 2 0.0%, P = 1.0]); 2‐year disease‐free survival 74.8% (4 studies, range 56.2‐92.0, 95% CI 63.3 to 84.8, [ I 2 36.9%, P = .2]); postoperative hemorrhage 9.3% (4 studies, range 3.3‐13.3, 95% CI 4.7 to 15.1, [ I 2 0.0%, P = .5]). Conclusions Functional and oncological outcomes are favorable, although the follow‐up is limited in the literature. Larger cohorts with longer follow‐up are needed for definitive conclusions to be drawn.