Robotic-Assisted Versus Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery for Thymic Epithelial Tumours, From the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database

This study compared robotic and video-assisted thymectomy to assess pathological resection status, as well as overall and disease-free survival. Data were retrieved from the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons prospectively maintained thymic database, which includes 82 international centers, 37 of which agreed to participate in this study. Between October 2001 and May 2021, a total of 899 patients with thymic malignancy and who underwent minimal access surgical resection were included. After adjusting for thymoma stage, the odds of incomplete surgical resection were higher in patients undergoing video-assisted surgery than robotic. Further research is required to compare outcomes for different surgical approaches with a standardized pathological work-up.