Robotic rectal surgery: Outcomes of the first 102 totally robotic cases handled using the single-docking technique in a reference institution.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Rectal cancer is often surgically treated, but it is still associated with morbidity rates. Minimally invasive techniques are increasingly being used to reduce complications, and the use of such techniques can be found in the literature. This study aims to report our experience in a reference oncology center. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on a prospective database of patients who underwent robotic surgery for rectal cancer using the single-docking technique from September 2014 to April 2018. Clinical and surgical variables, as well as morbidity and mortality rates, were analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred and two patients underwent robotic surgery. Intraoperative complications occurred in six patients (4.9%), and postoperative complications in 24 patients (23.5%), of which anastomotic fistula represented 3.9%. The conversion rate was 1.96%. Two cases (1.9%) faced death within 30 days. The median length of hospitalization was 3 days. The median number of lymph nodes dissected was 15. Clinical and surgical data were correlated with postoperative complications, and no statistically significant differences were found. CONCLUSION: Robotic surgery is a safe and feasible approach to manage rectal cancer. The method presents satisfactory results with regard to the rate of operative complications, conversion rate, oncologic outcomes, and length of hospitalization.

Study on the prevalence of human papillomavirus in the anal canal of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade III.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the anal canal of women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade III. STUDY DESIGN: Two groups were compared. In group I (study group), 40 women who had undergone cervical biopsy with a histopathological result indicating CIN III were evaluated. Group II (control) consisted of 40 women with normal results from colposcopic examination and colpocytological tests. The women in group I who presented high-grade neoplasia in colpocytological tests underwent collection of material from the uterine cervix and anal canal for investigating HPV DNA using the Hybrid Capture II technique. Colposcopy and cervical biopsy were then performed. If CIN III was confirmed, HPV DNA was investigated in the material collected. In group II, colpocytological tests and colposcopy were performed and, if normal, the procedure was similar to that followed for group I, except that no biopsy was performed. RESULTS: In group I, 39 women (97.5%) were positive for HPV in the uterine cervix and 14 women (35%) in the anal canal. In group II, only four women (10%) had a positive HPV test, for both the uterine cervix and the anal canal. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HPV in the anal canal of the women with CIN III was greater than in the women without CIN III.