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Intraoperative Electron Beam Irradiation: Physics and Techniques

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Intraoperative Irradiation

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Oncology ((CCO))

Abstract

Since IORT using electron beams first became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, enthusiasm for the technique using conventional accelerators waned. The reasons for this are manyfold. The main factor was that IORT required considerable effort on the part of physicians, physicists, and therapists, as well as the loss of time on the linear accelerator for treating external beam irradiation therapy (EBRT) patients. While a dedicated facility alleviates some of these problems, the cost of building a shielded room for a low use (∼3–5 cases per week) linear accelerator was hard to justify in the face of declining reimbursements. The problem with reimbursements was in part related to the fact that in the USA there is no specific CPT code for this procedure, so the utilization costs were harder to recover. Finally, in some institutions, the lack of definite improvements in survival in certain disease-sites of interest made it hard to justify the additional departmental resources to carry out the procedure.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Siemens Medical Solutions, Concord, CA 94520.

  2. 2.

    IntraOp Medical, Sunnycale CA 94085.

  3. 3.

    NRT SpA, Roma, Italy.

  4. 4.

    Sordina SpA, Saonara (PD), Italy.

  5. 5.

    In the USA this is conventionally taken as 90%, but there are exceptions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, USA

    Peter Biggs

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Christopher G. Willett

  3. Department of Surgery, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Harm Rutten

  4. Division of Medical Physics, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Mario Ciocca

  5. Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, USA

    Leonard L. Gunderson

  6. Department of Oncology, University Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain

    Felipe A. Calvo

Authors
  1. Peter Biggs
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  2. Christopher G. Willett
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  3. Harm Rutten
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  4. Mario Ciocca
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  5. Leonard L. Gunderson
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  6. Felipe A. Calvo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Biggs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, East Shea Blvd 13400, Scottsdale, 85259, Arizona, USA

    Leonard L. Gunderson

  2. Dept. Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Christopher G. Willett

  3. Gregorio Marañón, Depto. Radiación de Oncología, Hospital General Universitario, C/ Dr. Esquerdo 46, Madrid, 28007, Spain

    Felipe A. Calvo

  4. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Beth Israel Medical Center, Union Square East 10, New York, 10003, New York, USA

    Louis B. Harrison

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Biggs, P., Willett, C.G., Rutten, H., Ciocca, M., Gunderson, L.L., Calvo, F.A. (2011). Intraoperative Electron Beam Irradiation: Physics and Techniques. In: Gunderson, L., Willett, C., Calvo, F., Harrison, L. (eds) Intraoperative Irradiation. Current Clinical Oncology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-015-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-015-7_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-014-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-015-7

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