Comparing oncologic outcomes after minimally invasive and open surgery for pediatric neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor.

BackgroundMinimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been widely adopted for common operations in pediatric surgery; however, its role in childhood tumors is limited by concerns about oncologic outcomes. We compared open and MIS approaches for pediatric neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor (WT) using a national database. MethodsThe National Cancer Data Base from 2010 to 2012 was queried for cases of neuroblastoma and WT in children 21 years old. Children were classified as receiving open or MIS surgery for definitive resection, with clinical outcomes compared using a propensity matching methodology (two open:one MIS). ResultsFor children with neuroblastoma, 17% (98 of 579) underwent MIS, while only 5% of children with WT (35 of 695) had an MIS approach for tumor resection. After propensity matching, there was no difference between open and MIS surgery for either tumor for 30-day mortality, readmissions, surgical margin status, and 1- and 3-year survival. However, in both tumors, open surgery more often evaluated lymph nodes and had larger lymph node harvest. ConclusionOur retrospective review suggests that the use of MIS appears to be a safe method of oncologic resection for select children with neuroblastoma and WT. Further research should clarify which children are the optimal candidates for this approach.