Robotic and laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer in Africa: an outcome comparison endorsed by the Nigerian society for colorectal disorders

Background Minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) offer superior outcomes compared to open surgery. This study aimed to review the robotic and laparoscopic procedures for CRC performed in Africa, and compare the mean surgery duration, blood loss, hospital stay, rate of conversion, and prevalence of morbidity and mortality. This is the first study to compare the outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic surgeries for CRC in Africa. Methods A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines was conducted. PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, AJOL, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched, identifying 2,259 publications, 33 of which were deemed eligible. Statistical analysis of outcomes was performed using “R”. Methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane ROBINS-I tool. Results The minimally invasive approach has been applied for CRC treatment in seven African countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa. Laparoscopic surgeries accounted for 1,485 (95%) of cases, while 71 (5%) were robotic. Robotic procedures were associated with a longer surgery duration (256.41 min vs. 190.45 min, p