Background: Surgical esophagectomy plays a crucial role in the curative and palliative treatment of esophageal cancer. Thereby, minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is increasingly applied all over the world. Combining minimal invasiveness with improved possibilities for meticulous dissection, robot-assisted minimal invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) has been implemented in many centers.
Purpose: This review focuses on the development of MIE as well as RAMIE and their value based on evidence in current literature.
Conclusion: Although MIE and RAMIE are highly complex procedures, they can be performed safely with improved postoperative outcome and equal oncological results compared with open esophagectomy (OE). RAMIE offers additional advantages regarding surgical dissection, lymphadenectomy, and extended indications for advanced tumors.
Keywords: Esophageal cancer; Esophagectomy; Minimal invasive esophagectomy; Robot-assisted minimal invasive esophagectomy.