The clinical results presented for IORT treatment are taken from data published in medical journals or presented at medical and scientific meetings. IORT is always given as part of a comprehensive treatment approach that may also involve additional pre-operative or post-operative radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The appropriate additional therapy that might be required depends on the stage and extent of the disease and is a medical decision that should be made in consultation with a physician. Go here for a printable version of this page.
With more than 130,000 new cases diagnosed each year, cancers of the colon and rectum are the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. [1]. The choice of treatment depends on the location, stage and characteristics of the tumor and the patient's general state of health. For advanced rectal cancer, a combination of surgery, irradiation and chemotherapy is often prescribed. Even with the use of external beam irradiation and surgical resection, tumors recur in about 30-50% of treated patients with advanced disease [2]. In an attempt to decrease local recurrence, a number of institutions in the U.S., Europe and Asia have added IORT to the treatment [3-5]. Local control is enhanced with IORT, particularly when the tumor can be substantially removed during surgery.
"Intraoperative Irradiation, Techniques and Results", 1999, p.262 Despite a significant reduction in the incidence of tumor recurrence at the primary site following the addition of IORT, metastatic spread to other organs remains high. Clinical research studies under consideration will investigate combinations of optimal chemotherapy, external beam irradiation, IORT and radiation sensitizing drugs with the goal of further improving local control, reducing metastases and increasing survival [6].
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