Robotic nipple-sparing mastectomy complication rate compared to traditional nipple-sparing mastectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Journal of robotic surgery Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 265 - 272
• Main Authors: Filipe, M. D., de Bock, E., Postma, E. L., Bastian, O. W., Schellekens, P. P. A., Vriens, M. R., Witkamp, A. J., Richir, M. C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01.04.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bias; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - surgery; Cancer therapies; Disease prevention; Female; Hematoma; Humans; Infections; Mastectomy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Meta-analysis; Minimally Invasive Surgery; Missing data; Necrosis; Nipples - surgery; Retrospective Studies; Review; Review Article; Robotic Surgical Procedures - methods; Robotics; Surgery; Systematic review; Urology; Visualization; Surgery; Minimally invassive; Robot assisted nipple sparing mastectomy
• ISSN: 1863-2483; 1863-2491
• DOI: 10.1007/s11701-021-01265-w

Breast cancer is worldwide the most common cause of cancer in women and causes the second most common cancer-related death. Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is commonly used in therapeutic and prophylactic settings. Furthermore, (preventive) mastectomies are, besides complications, also associated with psychological and cosmetic consequences. Robotic NSM (RNSM) allows for better visualization of the planes and reducing the invasiveness. The aim of this study was to compare the postoperative complication rate of RNSM to NSM. A systematic search was performed on all (R)NSM articles. The primary outcome was determining the overall postoperative complication rate of traditional NSM and RNSM. Secondary outcomes were comparing the specific postoperative complication rates: implant loss, hematoma, (flap)necrosis, infection, and seroma. Forty-nine studies containing 13,886 cases of (R)NSM were included. No statistically significant differences were found regarding postoperative complications (RNSM 3.9%, NSM 7.0%, p  = 0.070), postoperative implant loss (RNSM 4.1%, NSM 3.2%, p  = 0.523), hematomas (RNSM 4.3%, NSM 2.0%, p  = 0.059), necrosis (RNSM 4.3%, NSM 7.4%, p  = 0.230), infection (RNSM 8.3%, NSM 4.0%, p  = 0.054) or seromas (RNSM 3.0%, NSM 2.0%, p  = 0.421). Overall, there are no statistically significant differences in complication rates between NSM and RNSM.