Radical prostatectomy and intraoperative radiation therapy in high-risk prostate cancer

Intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy (IOERT) for prostate cancer (PC) is a radiotherapeutic technique, giving high doses of radiation during radical prostatectomy (RP). This paper presents the published treatment approaches for intraoperative radiotherapy analyzing functional outcome, morbidity, and oncological outcome in patients with clinical intermediate-high-risk prostate cancer. A systematic review of the literature was performed, searching PubMed and Web of Science. A "free text" protocol using the term intraoperative radiotherapy and prostate cancer was applied. Ten records were retrieved and analyzed including more than 150 prostate cancer patients treated with IOERT. IOERT represents a feasible technique with acceptable surgical time and minimal toxicity. A greater number of cases and longer follow-up time are needed in order to assess the long-term side effects and oncological outcome.