Procedures

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT)

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is a cancer treatment technique in which a high-energy dose of radiation is delivered directly to a cancerous tumor while it is exposed during surgery. The technique enables physicians to concentrate the x-ray beam on the tumor without exposing adjoining healthy tissues to radiation. The single high-energy dose can be as effective as a dozen or more individual radiation treatments. Combining surgery with radiation therapy increases the likelihood of elimination of cancer cells. IORT enables treatment of tumors that cannot be removed completely by surgery because of the risk of damaging critically important adjoining tissue. The technique is valuable in treating gastrointestinal, gynecologic and lymph node cancer. The procedure is performed in a specially designed treatment room that is transformed into an operating room, allowing delivery of a single dose of radiation while the patient undergoes surgery.


Learn More About SBRT for Prostate Cancer from RAS