Annual experience of patients with HPV-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx or CUP-syndrome operated by transoral robotic surgery (daVinci) procedure

Introduction The use of Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) in the management of oropharyngeal tumors is increasing, even though it remains marginal in Europe, notably for financial reasons. The use of robotic techniques allows excellent visualization of the resection, particularly in the lower pole of the tonsil and at the base of the tongue.

Method We described patients (n=12) with HPV+(DNA+/p16+) squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx (OPSCC) or cervical CUP-syndrome operated by TORS during the year 2023. The criteria being compared notably included the number of multilocular tumors and the number of OPSCC initially CUP-syndromes. We compared our results with those of reference studies (Guidelines) and studies concerning our criteria.

Results Although the cohort was still limited, it is notable that several patients presented multilocular tumors of fortuitous discovery. It was also possible to demonstrate a primary tumor in patients with CUP-syndrome. Finally, it is possible to visualize good tumor exposure during resection using the TORS (da Vinci) technique.

Conclusion HPV+OPSCC and cervical CUP-syndromes are favorable for the TORS technique. HPV+CUP-syndromes mainly appear as undetectable oropharyngeal carcinomas. Additionally, multilocular unexpected carcinomas were present in our cohort. The TORS technique has a clear advantage, particularly in terms of tumour exposure. The learning curve is evident. Robotic surgery is certainly an important component of future surgery.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
19. April 2024