Is the right answer always correct: between primary endpoint and clinical validity-author's reply

摘要

We thank Hoogteijing and colleagues 1 for their interest in our recently published study.We reported the results of the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the outcomes of robotic hepatectomy (RH) versus laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH) for liver malignancies performed at a high-volume center.Hoogteijing and colleagues addressed the clinical significance of quality of life (QoL) as primary endpoint and the research hypothesis.From the patients' perspective QoL remains one of the most-if not the most-important health value as it integrates all factors that affect patients' well-being within a modern composite endpoint. 2In a previous study, we demonstrated that role functioning represents one of the most important health domains for oncological patients. 3nfortunately, QoL is still highly underreported in surgical trials. 3This scarcity of data together with its