Feasibility of robot-assisted surgery in elderly patients with rectal cancer

Background: Although surgical resection is the main treatment for rectal cancer, the optimal surgical protocol for elderly patients with rectal cancer remains controversial. This study evaluated the feasibility of robot-assisted surgery in elderly patients with rectal cancer. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 156 patients aged 28-93 years diagnosed with Stage I-III rectal cancer, who underwent robot-assisted surgery between May 2013 and December 2018 at a single institution. Results: In total, 156 patients with rectal cancer, including 126 non-elderly (aged < 70 years) and 30 elderly (aged >= 70 years) patients, who underwent robot-assisted surgery were recruited. Between the patient groups, the post-operative length of hospital stay did not differ statistically significantly (P = 0.084). The incidence of overall post-operative complications was statistically significantly lower in the elderly group (P = 0.002). The disease-free and overall survival did not differ statistically significantly between the two groups (P = 0.719 and 0.390, respectively). Conclusions: Robot-assisted surgery for rectal cancer was well tolerated by elderly patients, with similar results to the non-elderly patients. Oncological outcomes and survival did not depend on patient age, suggesting that robot-assisted surgery is a feasible surgical modality for treating operable rectal cancer and leads to age-independent post-operative outcomes in elderly patients.