Impact of minimally invasive surgery on surgical outcomes for obese women with endometrial cancer following robotic surgery introduction; a single centre study.

Background: The aim was to assess the surgical outcomes in obese women with endometrial cancer following robotic surgery introduction in a London tertiary gynaecological cancer unit.

Methods: Data was prospectively collected for 281 women undergoing endometrial cancer surgery in 2016, 2018 and 2019 (robotic surgery was introduced in November 2017).

Results: The proportion of obese and morbidly obese patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) significantly increased following robotic surgery introduction from 43.8% to 69.6% (p < 0.001). Overall robotic surgery operating time was not affected by higher body mass index (r = 0.177, 95% CI -0.068-0.402). There was no difference in the length of stay or in the frequency and severity of complication rates between obese, morbidly obese and non-obese populations undergoing MIS.

Conclusion: Robotic surgery led to a significant rise in MIS and improved surgical outcomes for obese and morbidly obese women with endometrial cancer within 12 months of its introduction.