Early experience with intraoperative radiotherapy in patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Background The use of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) in patients with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma has not been clearly defined. Methods The medical records of our first 22 patients receiving IORT for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma (2001 to 2006) were reviewed and compared with the records of 27 consecutive patients not receiving IORT for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma (2004 to 2006). Results There were no 30-day mortalities in either group, and complication rates were similar. Local recurrence occurred in 18% in the IORT group (median 14 months) and 12% in the no-IORT group (median 7 months). Distant recurrence occurred in 47% in the IORT group (median 11 months) and 32% in the no-IORT group (median 6.5 months). Median overall, stage-specific, and location-specific survival did not differ between the groups. Conclusions Although limited in size and follow-up, our experience showed that complications, recurrence, and survival were not affected by IORT, but time to recurrence may be longer with IORT.