Robotic Surgery in Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) represents one of the most letal cancers in women. The aim of surgical treatment consists of complete cytoreduction in advanced stages and a surgical staging in early stages. Although the guidelines still suggest laparotomy as the standard approach, in recent years minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has become more and more popular in the treatment of OC, especially in early stages, in which the 5-year relative survival exceeds 90% and the patients’ quality of life cannot be overshadowed. However, MIS has been demonstrated to have a role even in advanced stages, in the prediction of optimal cytoreduction, identifying patients who may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and, more recently, in the interval debulking surgery, as in selected cases of secondary cytoreduction for recurrent ovarian cancer. The aim of this review is to describe the MIS (especially robotic surgery), with its advantages and pitfalls, in the treatment of OC.