Papers
24
Total Citations
560
H-Index
13
About
Masanori Tokunaga is a leading figure in the advancement of robotic surgery for gastrointestinal cancers, with a particular focus on gastric cancer. His research has been instrumental in defining the clinical role and technical nuances of robotic gastrectomy, comparing it directly with the established standard of laparoscopic gastrectomy. Through a series of influential studies, including early and late phase II trials and a randomized controlled phase III protocol (JCOG1907, MONA LISA study), Tokunaga has systematically evaluated the safety, feasibility, and potential superiority of the robotic approach. His work has garnered significant attention, with his most cited paper, "What are the reasons for a longer operation time in robotic gastrectomy...?" accumulating 79 citations. Beyond clinical outcomes, Tokunaga has explored the frontier of telesurgery, authoring a highly cited 2022 paper that defines the maximum acceptable communication delay for its safe realization. His contributions extend to colorectal surgery, where he has investigated robotic-assisted surgery for both rectal and colon cancer, using nationwide databases to assess short-term outcomes. Tokunaga’s research is pivotal in shaping the evidence base for the expanding role of robotic platforms in minimally invasive oncologic surgery.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Robotic surgery for gastric cancer65 citations · 2015
- 3Maximum acceptable communication delay for the realization of telesurgery55 citations · 2022
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- 5Robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer45 citations · 2017
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- 10Robotic-assisted Surgery: Expanding Indication to Colon Cancer in Japan16 citations · 2022