Role of Robotics in Non-oropharyngeal Head and Neck Tumours.

Abstract

Transoral robotic surgery has been gaining widespread acceptance for the treatment of oropharyngeal malignancies. It has shown tremendous growth in the field of non-oropharyngeal malignancies like thyroidectomy, neck dissection, and parapharyngeal tumours. Many studies have aimed at studying the safety and efficacy of the technique. The literature is abundant for procedures and treatment protocols for oropharyngeal malignancy; however, there is paucity on its usability in non-oropharyngeal malignancy. We aim to review the literature to analyse the usability of robotics in non-oropharyngeal tumours and study the evolution and future applications of robotics in head and neck cancer. A thorough literature search using keywords "Transoral robotic surgery", "TORS", " Robotics in Head and Neck", " Robot-assisted Neck Dissection", " Robotic Thyroidectomy", " Robotic Laryngectomy", " Robotics in salivary gland disease", " Parapharyngeal space", "Systematic review", and "Meta-analysis" was done. The articles were reviewed individually by each author for a dedicated sub-heading. A narrative review was formulated under the subheadings-thyroid surgery, salivary gland, neck dissection, parapharyngeal space, and laryngectomy. The role of robotics has expanded with the advances in technology. Non-oropharyngeal head and neck disease can be approached using robotics. Careful patient selection provides a significant advantage of function and cosmesis and helps in avoiding inadvertent complications. With our growing experience, we might see a surge in robot-assisted head and neck surgery.