Intraoperative radiotherapy for pancreatic carcinoma

Objective: To review and summarize the role of different radiotherapy protocols for pancreatic carcinoma. Methods: From 1986 to 1999, 65 patients with unresectable pancreatic carcinoma associated with abdominal and back pain received intraoperative radiotherapy ( IORT), IORT combined with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or EBRT alone. Another 30 patients treated by surgical resection served as control. Results: 1. In twenty-five patients treated by IORT, the complete, partial and response rates were 47%, 34% and 81%, respectively. Alleviation of pain was observed two weeks after IORT. The median survival was 5.9 months. 2. In the IORT + EBRT group, 20 patients gave response rates similar to those in the IORP group ,but a median survival time of 8.3 months. 3. Twenty patients in the EBRT, group had their pain alleviated four weeks or more after completion of EBRT, giving a median survival time of 4.5 months. 4. In the control group, 30 patients, after their successful surgical procedure, gave a median survival time of 7 months. Conclusion: In the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma, the patient's pain can be released rapidly and the patient's survival and quality of life can be improved obviously by the combination of IORT and EBRT