Robotic Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy —Ready for Prime Time?

In this study of 40 robotic mastectomies in 20 women using a single-port robotic platform, Farr et al expand on existing literature by demonstrating feasibility and safety with the more convenient single-port platform. At this point, the issue is not whether robotic mastectomy can be done, but whether there is sufficient information about its oncologic safety that it should be done. A 2019 US Food and Drug Administration safety communication, updated in August 2021, stated that the safety and effectiveness of robotically assisted mastectomy for the treatment or prevention of breast cancer had not been established and indicated that studies of this technique must be conducted under an investigational device exemption due to the potential for significant risk. The importance of this caution is underscored by experience with laparoscopic and robotic minimally invasive radical hysterectomy, procedures that were widely embraced until a prospective randomized trial demonstrated inferior disease-free and overall survival for the minimally invasive approach compared to open surgery.
Source: JAMA Surgery - Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research