Oncological and functional outcomes for transoral robotic surgery following previous radiation treatment for upper aerodigestive tract head and neck cancers. A French multicenter GETTEC group study.

Background: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) opens new perspectives. We evaluated the outcomes for patients having undergone TORS after previous radiotherapy.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter study (n = 138) in a previously irradiated area between 2009 and 2020. Survival was assessed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Prognostic factors were evaluated using a chi-squared test, Fisher's test, or Wilcoxon's test.

Results: The median length of hospital stay was 12.5 days. Bleeding was the most frequent postoperative complication (15.2%, n = 22). Prophylactic vessel ligation did not significantly decrease bleeding. Complications were significantly lower for Tis, T1, and N0 tumors. 91.6% (n = 120) of the patients with a perioperative tracheotomy could be decannulated. Larynx was functional for 65.94% of the patients. The median length of follow-up was 26 months. The 5-year overall and relapse-free survival rates were respectively 59.9% and 43.4%.

Conclusion: Oncological and functional results confirmed the value of TORS as a treatment in previously irradiated area.