Minimally invasive surgery as a treatment for colorectal cancer

Although open surgery has been the most widely used approach for colorectal cancer, there is a trend towards the use of minimally invasive technologies that seek benefits such as reduction of postoperative pain, shorter recovery time and hospitalization, while maintaining or exceeding the oncological result obtained by open surgery. The objective of this manuscript is to compare robotic, laparoscopic, and open surgeries as treatment for colorectal cancer. Ten articles were systematically reviewed. Inclusion criteria were manuscripts published from 2015 to 2022, meta-analyses, systematic reviews and original articles that integrate the following: conversion rate, surgical time, bleeding, number of harvested lymph nodes, resected margins, length of hospital stay, morbidity, mortality, recurrence and costs. It was found that the greatest benefit is offered by robotic surgery, since it promises lower rates of conversion to open surgery, shorter hospital stay and lower morbidity, while maintaining the efficacy of cancer treatment. It was concluded that despite the fact that robotic surgery implies greater benefits, limitations such as cost, time to reach the learning curve, its use in hemodynamically unstable patients or with poor cardiopulmonary function, among others, must be taken into account. Therefore, it is important to individualize the surgery to each situation.