A Systematic Review of Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery in Wilms Tumor

Wilms tumor (WT) is a childhood embryonal tumor. Nephrectomy is the standard surgical treatment for children with WT and can be performed using robotic or laparoscopic approaches. This study aims to analyze the surgical outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic approaches in the treatment of Wilms' tumor. A comprehensive study was conducted focusing on the treatment of Wilms' tumor by robotic and laparoscopic surgery. We searched PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochran Library without any time or language limitations until 25 April 2024. Following the search technique, each document was scrutinized based on its title or abstract. Studies that treated Wilms' tumor through laparoscopic and robotic surgery were included in the study. Overall, 24 studies in this study were analyzed. Our analysis shows six types of outcome during the procedure including 1) complete removal of the tumor without rupture, 2) less blood loss, 3) converting to open surgery, 4) difficulty accessing the renal hilum, 5) difficulty maintaining oxygen saturation, and 6) splenic injury during the procedures. Also, six types of postoperative outcomes including 1) without recurrence or medium-term complications, 2) survival, 3) better cosmetic outcome, 4) death and metastases (relapse in the lung, nervous system, and liver), 5) prolonged ileum, and 6) herniation in the umbilical port were reported. Robotic and laparoscopic surgery impacts decreasing the risk of bleeding, prevention of metastasis, kidney preservation, survival, and length of stay in the hospital.