Robotic total mesorectal excision or transanal total mesorectal excision meta-analysis

Backgrounds Total mesorectal excision (TME) has been established as the standard for oncologic resection of rectal cancer, and has a direct impact on local recurrence and overall survival. Objectives Our meta-analysis aims to evaluate the oncological outcomes of the newer techniques of TME - robotic TME versus Transanal TME (TaTME). Primary outcome measures included CRM positivity, R0 resection status, distal resection margins and lymph node yield. Secondary outcome measures were overall complication rates, anastomotic leak and wound infection rates, post-operative ileus rates and mean operative time. Methods A systematic literature search was performed to identify relevant studies through PubMEd and Embase from January 2000 to January 2021. Inclusion criteria included English language articles directly comparing TaTME and robotic TME. Results Seven hundred and fourteen studies were identified, and only six studies were included for this meta-analysis. A total of 1065 participants, of which 632 (59.3%) underwent robotic TME, and 433 (40.7%) had TaTME. Robotic TME had a statistically significant higher lymph node yield (SMD -0.53, p = 0.020). There were no significant differences in the overall complication rates, wound infection and anastomotic leak rates, post-operative ileus, mean operative time and CRM positivity. Conclusion This is the first meta-analysis assessing the outcomes of robotic TME versus TaTME, and only lymph node yield was statistically higher in robotic TME group. These techniques are potentially complementary rather than competing, and we believe that these two approaches can be adopted after appropriate training.