Imaging for early stage breast cancer

Some remarks

• IORT is a well-established technique. Direct visualization of the tumor bed guarantees accurate dose delivery. This has additionally gained importance in the era of primary reconstruction techniques • The possibility of full skin sparing and the small treated volume lead to good cosmetic and late toxicity outcomes • Due to the immediate irradiation after tumor removal, repopulation of possible residual cancer cells can be avoided • IORT prolongs the surgical procedure to a small degree; however, it replaces adjuvant RT, creating an advantage in terms of treatment comfort for the patient and cost • Results of IORT are aligned with other schedules of RT, especially in low-risk group of patients • In any case, the absolute rate of local relapse is quite low, with no impact on overall survival