Topic: Robotic Liver Resection in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver tumor and the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It also represents a leading cause of death in patients with cirrhosis. Liver resection has a role to play in patients presenting with a disease ranging from the very early to the intermediate stages, providing substantial survival benefits.

It has been established that robotic liver resections can yield clinical outcomes comparable to laparoscopy. This advancement has the potential to enhance the adoption of minimally invasive major hepatic resections. This is primarily due to the improved access to liver segments that were previously challenging to approach laparoscopically (such as the caudate lobe and the posterosuperior segments). This enhanced accessibility is facilitated by better movement precision, stable three-dimensional views, and improved ergonomics.

However, in this fast-developing scenario, it is of paramount importance to accumulate robust evidence to identify the most effective treatment strategies that achieve optimal outcomes while being cost-effective.

This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring all applications and results of robotic liver resections for the treatment of HCC.

Liver resection, robotic surgery, hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC, minimally-invasive surgery, liver surgery, video-assisted surgery

30 Apr 2024