A Brief History and the Current State of Robotic Mastectomy: a Review.

Purpose Of Review: To evaluate and describe the current indications, implementation, operative techniques, and patient outcomes for robotic nipple sparing mastectomy (RNSM).

Recent Findings: The robotic approach to nipple-sparing mastectomies (NSM) has been shown to be feasible. The learning curve required by surgical teams can be overcome, but barriers to implementation exist, including higher cost and longer operative time compared to conventional nipple sparing mastectomies (CNSM). When performed, RNSM have been found to confer greater patient satisfaction and similar if not improved perioperative outcomes. However, the most critical current concern is the lack of long-term oncologic outcomes. The current available literature suggests short-term oncologic outcomes are not significantly different between RNSM and CNSM.

Summary: Randomized control trials with longer follow up are needed to determine the oncologic safety of RNSM and drive the future direction of this procedure.