[Intraoperative radiation therapy in conservative treatment of breast cancer: Quo Vadis?]

Intraoperative radiotherapy of breast carcinomas consists of a single irradiation session delivered to the surgical bed, immediately after the tumor resection. This modality, denoted in the literature as IORT, represents a novel therapeutic approach, the application of which is rigorously codified according to the risk factors identified at the time of diagnosis. As definitive treatment, IORT is applied to patients in post-menopausal status, presenting a small tumor with favorable pathological features. In patients with less favorable presentation (intermediary risk), IORT can be associated to hypofractionated external radiotherapy delivered to the whole mammary gland, on the basis of recommendations proposed by specialty international bodies, in Europe and USA.