Intraoperative radiation therapy with high-energy electron beams

Current trends of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) as well as its physical and radiobiological rationale were described in this article by reviewing a considerable amount of clinical data reported in worldwide publications in the last 10 years. IORT has been applied mostly in combination with fractionated external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) for the treatment of a variety of cancers, of which pancreatic cancer was the most frequent disease in absolute terms. There existed, however, a diversity of appraisals as to treatment outcome using IORT when compared to fractionated EBRT alone: probabilities of local control and survival and incidences of morbidity as well varied to a considerable extent among reports. The disagreement among the reports seemed to produce some doubts as to whether patients were eligible suitably for receiving IORT and whether IORT was performed at respective institutions with appropriate techniques of not only radiotherapy but also surgery and post-treatment care. It was thought at the time that the treatment quality of IORT should be re-evaluated after clarifying these moot points. (author). 76 refs