ORIGINAL ARTICLE – THORACIC ONCOLOGY Oncologic Long-Term Results of Robot-Assisted Minimally

Background. Open transthoracic esophagectomy is the worldwide gold standard in the treatment of resectable esophageal cancer. Robot-assisted minimally invasive thoraco-laparoscopic esophagectomy (RAMIE) for eso-phageal cancer may be associated with reduced blood loss, shorter intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and less cardiopul-monary morbidity; however, long-term oncologic results have not been reported to date. Methods. Between June 2007 and September 2011, a total of 108 patients with potentially resectable esophageal cancer underwent RAMIE at the University Medical Cen-tre Utrecht, with curative intent. All data were recorded prospectively. Results. Median duration of the surgical procedure wa