A Systematic Literature Review of the Use of Robotic Surgical Procedures in Thyroid Neoplasms

Background and Aim: The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased worldwide during the last decade, being one of the most common endocrine malignancies. Surgical resection, namely conventional thyroidectomy, remains at the frontline of therapy, Minimally invasive techniques gained popularity through the years. The purpose of this systematic review was to understand the most common techniques and to evaluate the outcomes of minimally invasive techniques. Materials and Methods: A literature search was conducted on 20 August 2023 using two MeSH terms: “Robotic Surgical Procedure” and “Thyroid Neoplasms” using PICOTS and PRISMA Statements. The results were narrowed to the articles available in full text. Results: A total of 31 items were retained. The article’s titles and abstracts were screened and nine articles were removed as five articles were reviews, two articles were case repots, one was a letter to the editor and one was describing the impact of augmented reality. Remaining 22 articles to analyze the content. Conclusion: This study found that the most used minimally invasive thyroid surgical techniques are robotic transaxillary thyroidectomy and robotic thyroidectomy by bilateral axillo-breast approach. From the systematic review, it can be concluded that for selected patients (well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma), these modern techniques are not inferior to standard of care and are a safe alternative, with the advantage of avoiding a potentially disfiguring scar in the neck, when performed by surgeons who are familiar with and experienced in endoscopic and robotic techniques

Role of Metabolomics in Pathogenesis and Prompt Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer Metastasis—A Systematic Review

Introduction: Gastric cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed form of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The aim of this review is to identify individual metabolic biomarkers and their association with accurate diagnostic values, which can predict gastric cancer metastasis. Materials and Methods: After searching the keywords, 83 articles were found over a period of 13 years. One was eliminated because it was not written in English, and two were published outside the selected period. Seven scientific papers were qualified for this investigation after eliminating duplicates, non-related articles, systematic reviews, and restricted access studies. Results: New metabolic biomarkers with predictive value for gastric cancer metastasis and for elucidating metabolic pathways of the metastatic process have been found. The pathogenic processes can be outlined as follows: pro-oxidant capacity, T-cell inactivation, cell cycle arrest, energy production and mitochondrial enzyme impairment, cell viability and pro-apoptotic effect, enhanced degradation of collagen extracellular matrix, migration, invasion, structural protein synthesis, and tumoral angiogenesis. Conclusion: Metabolic biomarkers have been recognized as independent risk factors in the molecular process of gastric cancer metastasis, with good diagnostic and prognostic value

Metabolic Signatures: Pioneering the Frontier of Rectal Cancer Diagnosis and Response to Neoadjuvant Treatment with Biomarkers—A Systematic Review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most aggressive, heterogenous, and fatal types of human cancer for which screening, and more effective therapeutic drugs are urgently needed. Early-stage detection and treatment greatly improve the 5-year survival rate. In the era of targeted therapies for all types of cancer, a complete metabolomic profile is mandatory before neoadjuvant therapy to assign the correct drugs and check the response to the treatment given. The aim of this study is to discover specific metabolic biomarkers or a sequence of metabolomic indicators that possess precise diagnostic capabilities in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy. After searching the keywords, a total of 108 articles were identified during a timeframe of 10 years (2013–2023). Within this set, one article was excluded due to the use of non-English language. Six scientific papers were qualified for this investigation after eliminating all duplicates, publications not referring to the subject matter, open access restriction papers, and those not applicable to humans. Biomolecular analysis found a correlation between metabolomic analysis of colorectal cancer samples and poor progression-free survival rates. Biomarkers are instrumental in predicting a patient’s response to specific treatments, guiding the selection of targeted therapies, and indicating resistance to certain drugs