Robotic lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer: long-term oncologic results.

Robotic lobectomy is a feasible, safe, and oncologically sound surgical treatment of early-stage lung cancer. The technique is reproducible across multiple centers and in the long-term yields results consistent with the best seen with conventional video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and thoracotomy. Lymphadenectomy may reduce inadequate staging of the hilar and mediastinal nodes during curative, anatomic resection. Differences between robotic versus VATS versus thoracotomy approaches to thoracic diseases should be evaluated to define the appropriate role of each approach.