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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.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in
the U.S., with more than 28,000 deaths reported per year
(1). With surgery alone, typically, less than
20% of patients survive 1 year and less than 3% are alive 5 years
after they are diagnosed (2).
Even with the addition of adjuvant external beam radiation therapy
and chemotherapy, improvements in survival have been very modest,
with local control typically only 20-30%.
In a number of studies, IORT has demonstrated the ability to
improve local control (4--9)(typically
to better than 50%) and the majority of IORT patients have good
control of pain (7, 10--16)
and improvement in quality of life. In some studies, IORT has
even increased survival modestly, but most patients ultimately
fail through disseminated disease. However, a number of IORT studies
do show some long-term survivors (9, 17,
18).
Since IORT has demonstrated improved local control in pancreatic
cancer, the emphasis of many centers conducting IORT treatments
for pancreatic cancer has been to find ways to reduce the spread
of the cancer to other organs through the use of pre- and post-operative
multi-agent chemotherapy.
Even for palliative treatment, IORT can be very effective.
One study from Japan (3) showed
that for patients treated with bypass surgery for pancreatic cancer,
there was a significant benefit in the hospital free survival
of these palliative treated patients (See Figure below).
Palliative benefit from IORT + Bypass surgery,
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