Collaborating with our adult colleagues: A case series of robotic surgery for suspicious and cancerous lesions in children and young adults performed in a free-standing children's hospital.

BACKGROUND: In adult urologic oncology the use of robotics has become commonplace; in pediatric urology it is rare. Herein, we describe a collaboration between an adult and a pediatric urologist performing robotic surgery for children and young adults with suspicious or cancerous genitourinary (GU) lesions.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate clinical and oncologic outcomes in children and young adults undergoing robotic surgery for suspicious or cancerous lesions of the GU tract; to describe our collaborative model between an adult and pediatric surgeon at a free-standing children's hospital.

DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed all robotic cases performed at our institution from 2014 to 2016 for patients with a GU malignancy or a suspicious mass. The surgeries were performed by a pediatric urologist with robotic experience and a fellowship-trained MIS adult urologist specializing in oncology. Perioperative and oncologic outcomes were recorded.

RESULTS: A total of eight robotic cases were performed: four partial nephrectomies (PN) with retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (LND) (OT 269-338 min, EBL 5-300 mL, LOS 3-6 days), one adrenalectomy with LND (6.4 cm mass; OT 172 min, EBL 5 mL, LOS 3 days), one nephrectomy with pericaval LND (9.8 cm mass; 234 min, EBL 25 mL, LOS 3 days), and two retroperitoneal LNDs (OT 572 and 508 min, EBL 250 and 100, LOS 3 and 4 days). Patient weights ranged from 14 to 79 kg (mean 53.4 kg). There were no major complications (Clavien 3-5). Pathology results for PN included papillary RCC (AJCC pT1aNx) and two cases of segmental cystic renal dysplasia with nephrogenic rests. Bilateral template RPLNDs yielded paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma (43 nodes; COG low risk group II stage I) and mixed non-seminomatous germ cell tumor (74 nodes; COG stage III). The nephrectomy yielded an undifferentiated sarcoma, low grade; the adrenalectomy favorable-type ganglioneuroma.

DISCUSSION: In pediatrics, urologic oncology cases are often managed with open surgery. Our series demonstrates the feasibility of using the robotic approach in carefully selected cases. In doing so, the patient benefits from a minimally invasive surgery, while the surgeon benefits from robotic surgical dexterity. We seamlessly advanced these new techniques through a step-wise collaboration between an adult urologist who routinely performs robotic oncology procedures and a pediatric urologist experienced in robotics for benign conditions.

CONCLUSION: In this small series, we safely and effectively adapted adult robotic techniques for genitourinary oncology cases in children and young adults.