Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40892105›Full record

ArticleSurgery today2026

Impact of the learning curve on the outcomes of robotic surgery in obese patients with rectal cancer.

Shota Izukawa, Masakatsu Numata, Toshiyuki Fukuda, Tatsunosuke Harada, Yosuke Atsumi, Keisuke Kazama, Sho Sawazaki, Shinsuke Suzuki, Teni Godai, Akio Higuchi and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Surgery today, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Shota IzukawaDepartment of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-57, Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 232-0024, Japan.
Masakatsu NumataDepartment of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-57, Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 232-0024, Japan. numata@yokohama-cu.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0414-0046
Toshiyuki FukudaDepartment of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-57, Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 232-0024, Japan.
Tatsunosuke HaradaDepartment of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-57, Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 232-0024, Japan.
Yosuke AtsumiDepartment of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-57, Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 232-0024, Japan.
Keisuke KazamaDepartment of Surgery, Yokohama City University, 3-9, Fukuura, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.
Sho SawazakiDepartment of Surgery, Yokohama City University, 3-9, Fukuura, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.
Shinsuke SuzukiDepartment of Surgery, Fujisawa Shonandai Hospital, 2345, Takakura, Fujisawa-City, Kanagawa, 252-0802, Japan.
Teni GodaiDepartment of Surgery, Fujisawa Shonandai Hospital, 2345, Takakura, Fujisawa-City, Kanagawa, 252-0802, Japan.
Akio HiguchiDepartment of Surgery, Yokohama Minami Kyosai Hospital, 21-1, Mutsuurahigashi, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 236-0037, Japan.
Hiroshi TamagawaDepartment of Surgery, Yokohama Minami Kyosai Hospital, 21-1, Mutsuurahigashi, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 236-0037, Japan.
Yusuke SuwaDepartment of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-57, Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 232-0024, Japan.
Jun WatanabeDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, Kansai Medical University, 2-5-1, Shinmachi, Hirakata-City, , Osaka, 573-1010, Japan.
Tsutomu SatoDepartment of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, 4-57, Urafune-Cho, Minami-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 232-0024, Japan.
Aya SaitoDepartment of Surgery, Yokohama City University, 3-9, Fukuura, Kanazawa-Ku, Yokohama-City, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOne of the challenges in performing surgery on obese patients with rectal cancer is the prolonged operation time. This study investigates whether or not this issue can be overcome through the surgeon's learning curve as they become proficient in robotic surgery.

methodsA retrospective review of 396 consecutive robotic procedures. The cases were divided into a learning phase (LP) group (first 20 cases) and a stabilized phase (SP) group (from case 21 onward). Patients were divided into obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m

resultsIn the LP group, obese patients had significantly longer operative times (329 min vs. 289 min) and greater blood loss (10 g [0-50] vs. 10 g [0-12]) than non-obese patients. In the SP group, the perioperative outcomes, including operation time, were similar between the two patient groups.

conclusionThis study suggests that during the early phase of the learning curve, operation time may be prolonged in obese patients. However, once the learning curve stabilizes, the issue of prolonged operative time can be overcome.

Indexed as

Learning CurveObesityOperative TimeRectal NeoplasmsRobotic Surgical ProceduresAgedBlood Loss, SurgicalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPropensity ScoreRetrospective StudiesTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeLearning curveObese patientsRectal cancerRobotic surgery

Identifiers

PMID40892105

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.