The paradigm shift in gastric cancer treatment is toward an increasingly less invasive approach. Minimally invasive gastric cancer procedures are providing these patients with oncologically sound procedures and improved quality of life. While the advantages of laparoscopy are well established; several inherent limitations of laparoscopic surgery and the complexity of the extended lymph node dissection for gastric cancer have lead surgeons to actively investigate robotic surgery as an alternative minimally invasive approach to gastric cancer. The first robotic gastric cancer surgery using "the da Vinci system" in Korea was performed in July 2005 in Korea at Severance Hospital， Yonsei University.

 

A new platform of surgical ingenuity involving robotic computer technology was developed to improve on the strengths and weaknesses of laparoscopy. The role of robotic surgery in the treatment of patients with gastric cancer is growing. However， only a limited number of studies exist evaluating the technique of robotic gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Although there are huge advantages in robotic surgery， still several problems should be solved such as no obvious evidence for efficacy， high cost， and a longer operation time. 

 

Robotic gastric cancer surgery is a complex operation which can be performed safely with the expected advantages of minimally invasive surgery. Studies of short-term outcomes demonstrate less blood loss， less pain and shorter hospital stay for robotic gastrectomy when compared to laparoscopic gastric cancer operations. As surgeons become more adept at robotic gastrectomies and the clinical and oncologic outcomes remain favorable; robotic surgery may offer a sound alternative to traditional open or conventional laparoscopic gastric cancer operations. In this presentation， current status of robotic surgery for gastric cancer in Korea will be presented in detail.