Retrospective Cohort Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. May 27, 2024; 16(5): 1271-1279
Published online May 27, 2024. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i5.1271
Comparing short-term outcomes of robot-assisted and conventional laparoscopic total mesorectal excision surgery for rectal cancer in elderly patients
Hao Yang, Gang Yang, Wen-Ya Wu, Fang Wang, Xue-Quan Yao, Xiao-Yu Wu
Hao Yang, Gang Yang, Wen-Ya Wu, Fang Wang, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Xue-Quan Yao, Xiao-Yu Wu, Department of Surgical Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Xue-Quan Yao and Xiao-Yu Wu.
Author contributions: Yang H, Yang G, Wu WY, Wang F, Yao XQ and Wu XY designed the research; Yang H, Yang G, Wu WY and Wang F performed the research; Yang H, Yang G and Wu WY contributed analytic tools and analyzed the data; Yang H, Yao XQ and Wu XY wrote the manuscript; Yao XQ and Wu XY provided help with project funding; all authors were involved in the critical review of the results and have contributed to, read, and approved the final manuscript. Yao XQ and Wu XY contributed equally to this work as co-corresponding authors. The reasons for designating Yao XQ and Wu XY as co-corresponding authors are threefold. First, the research was performed as a collaborative effort, and the designation of co-corresponding authorship accurately reflects the distribution of responsibilities and burdens associated with the time and effort required to complete the study and the resultant paper. This also ensures effective communication and management of post-submission matters, ultimately enhancing the paper's quality and reliability. Second, the overall research team encompassed authors with a variety of expertise and skills from different fields, and the designation of co-corresponding authors best reflects this diversity. This also promotes the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of the research topic, ultimately enriching readers' understanding by offering various expert perspectives. Third, Yao XQ and Wu XY contributed efforts of equal substance throughout the research process. The choice of these researchers as co-corresponding authors acknowledges and respects this equal contribution, while recognizing the spirit of teamwork and collaboration of this study. In summary, we believe that designating Yao XQ and Wu XY as co-corresponding authors of is fitting for our manuscript as it accurately reflects our team's collaborative spirit, equal contributions, and diversity.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, NO. 82174466.
Institutional review board statement: The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine Institutional Review Board has agreed to change the study to be exempted from ethical review.
Informed consent statement: This was a retrospective study, and the processes of data collection, data analysis, and paper writing did not disclose patients' private information; therefore, no informed consent was obtained.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest.
Data sharing statement: All the data and materials used were obtained from the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Yu Wu, MD, Professor, Chief Doctor, Chief Physician, Department of Surgical Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, No. 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China. wuxiaoyu@medmail.com.cn
Received: October 31, 2023
Revised: February 5, 2024
Accepted: April 8, 2024
Published online: May 27, 2024
Processing time: 204 Days and 20.3 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Previous studies have shown that laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery for rectal cancer has been widely used worldwide. Robotic-assisted systems are capable of achieving finer anatomical manipulation and better surgical outcomes with high-definition cameras, but TME surgery has not been widely promoted in elderly rectal cancer patients. In this retrospective study, we enrich the evidence that robotic-assisted systems deserve to be widely used over laparoscopy.