Effectiveness of transoral robotic surgery for recurrent head and neck cancers: a systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the best available evidence regarding effectiveness of transoral robotic surgery in patients with recurrent head and neck cancers.

Introduction: Transoral robotic surgery is now an established modality of treatment for primary head and neck cancer, showing good swallowing outcomes and quality of life for patients post-treatment. In patients with recurrent disease, conventional open surgery is often used, which prolongs recovery time and necessitates tissue disruption to gain access to the tumor site. Transoral robotic surgery is an emerging technique in this field as a minimally invasive approach to resection.

Inclusion criteria: The review will include experimental or observational studies that investigated the use of transoral robotic surgery in adults (aged 18 years or older) with recurrent head and neck cancers for oncological, functional, and survival outcomes.

Methods: Three databases will be searched for evidence: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Search terms for each database will include transoral robotic surgery, recurrent, salvage , and head and neck cancers . Reference lists of included articles will be searched for further evidence. Critical appraisal will be conducted by 2 independent reviewers using the JBI critical appraisal tools for quantitative studies. Data will be extracted by the same reviewers. Where appropriate, meta-analysis will be conducted for all outcomes.

Review registration: PROSPERO CRD42023404613.