Robotic assisted radical cystectomy: insights on long term oncological outcomes from the International Robotic Cystectomy Consortium

Abstract

The goal of minimally invasive surgery in the field of bladder cancer (BCa) is to overcome the complexity of the open approach, to minimize surgical morbidity and to improve recovery. Apart from a brief phase attempting a pure laparoscopic approach, the steep and exhaustive learning curve (LC) and the difficulty of radical cystectomy (RC) made the trend rapingly moving toward the robotic assistance (1). The introduction of robotic assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) was initially slow, but afterwards it steadily increased both in USA and in Europe (1).