Robots in Surgery: How Well Did They Do in Japan?
First Annual Report for Robot‐Assisted Surgery Based on the National Clinical Database 2019 in Japan: Report on Three Major Gastrointestinal Fields
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Esophagectomy had a 23.2% rate of serious complications (Grade IIIa or higher), while gastrectomy had only 4.9%, despite all being robotic procedures.
Many assume robotic surgery reduces complications across the board, but this shows the type of surgery — not just the tool — determines risk. The esophagus surgery was 5 times riskier than stomach surgery.
Practical Takeaways
If considering robotic cancer surgery, ask about the surgeon’s certification and the expected complication rate for your specific procedure.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Esophagectomy had a 23.2% rate of serious complications (Grade IIIa or higher), while gastrectomy had only 4.9%, despite all being robotic procedures.
Many assume robotic surgery reduces complications across the board, but this shows the type of surgery — not just the tool — determines risk. The esophagus surgery was 5 times riskier than stomach surgery.
Practical Takeaways
If considering robotic cancer surgery, ask about the surgeon’s certification and the expected complication rate for your specific procedure.
Publication
Journal
Asian Journal of Endoscopic Surgery
Year
2026
Authors
I. Takemasa, Hiroyuki Yamamoto, T. Nishigori, Takeo Fujita, T. Makino, Yusuke Taniyama, Masanori Terashima, Masanori Tokunaga, T. Matsuyama, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Noriko Iwata, H. Katsuno, Koichi Suda, Yusuke Kinugasa, K. Obama, Takashi Kamei, I. Uyama, Masahiko Watanabe, Yoshiharu Sakai, Yuko Kitagawa
Related Content
Claims (5)
In Japan in 2019, more than 2 out of every 3 robot-assisted stomach and gut surgeries used the da Vinci Xi robot — making it the most popular surgical robot for these operations nationwide.
In Japan in 2019, doctors used robots to do tough stomach and bowel surgeries. Even though the operations took a long time, there was very little bleeding and almost never had to switch to open surgery, which means the robot systems worked really well.
In Japan in 2019, almost all robot-assisted stomach and gut surgeries were done by specially certified surgeons, and these operations only happened in a small number of expert hospitals — showing that robot surgery was tightly controlled and only available in top centers.
In Japan in 2019, people who had robot-assisted surgery to remove part of their esophagus had more serious complications than those who had similar robotic surgeries on their stomach or rectum.
In Japan in 2019, doctors used robots to remove stomach and bowel cancers, and in most cases, they got all the cancer out with clean edges under the microscope.