Efficacy and safety of intraoperative radiotherapy in breast cancer: A systematic review

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for early breast cancer through a systematic review. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies assessed the combined treatment with IORT (10–24 Gy) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) (45–50 Gy) on early stage breast cancer (T0–2). Local control was over 95% for 1 and 4 years of follow-up and the 5-year overall survival was 99%. The TARGIT-A study found a similar survival comparing IORT with standard treatment. The incidence of acute and chronic complications was scarce. IORT is well tolerated by patients and acute and late toxicities are low. There are no differences in survival for IORT treated patients versus standard treatment.

► Breast cancer is the most frequent neoplasm in women in developed countries.
► Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) is a promising treatment for early breast cancer.
► There is similar survival for IORT treated patients compared with standard treatment.
► IORT is well tolerated by patients and acute and late toxicities are low.
► IORT role (unique treatment or jointly with other radiotherapy schemes) is unknown.