Pancreatectomy with intraoperative radiotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Implications of adjuvant radiotherapy

Implications of adjuvant radiotherapy (intraoperative and postoperative) for pancreatic carcinoma were investigated. In the examination of autopsy, it was confirmed that local recurrence was controlled by irradiation, but frequency of local recurrence and liver metastasis was high, and the prognosis was poor. Local recurrence rate was 13.3% in 15 cases which had intraoperative irradiation of 30 Gy and 40% in 10 cases of irradiation under 30 Gy. After 1994, postoperative irradiation for whole liver was added to local intraoperative irradiation, and good results were obtained (10 of 19 cases are alive). Liver metastasis rate was 21.1% in whole liver irradiation group, and about 50% in other groups. Recently, local intraoperative irradiation of 30 Gy with whole liver irradiation of 22 Gy was adopted as standard adjuvant radiotherapy and better results were obtained. But it is too early to conclude their effects. (K.H.)