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.

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Cervical cancer, the fourth leading malignancy in U.S. women, is a slow growing but often fatal disease. Early cancers, confined to the cervix, can be treated effectively either by surgery or by radiation therapy. If the tumor has spread into surrounding tissues such as the vagina or pelvic lymph nodes, optimal treatment usually will include a combination of external irradiation, radioactive sources positioned close to the cervix and chemotherapy [1].

IORT may be of benefit for improving local control and survival in patients with locally advanced, surgically inoperable tumors or with recurrent tumors that involve regional lymph nodes and the pelvic sidewalls [2,3].

REFERENCES
(1) Morris et al, N Eng J Med 340:1137-43, 1999
(2) Haddock et al, In, "Intraoperative Irradiation, Techniques and Results", p.397, Humana Press, 1999
(3) Gunderson etal, ASTRO refresher Course No. 211, 1999