Intraoperative radiotherapy for advanced carcinoma of the biliary system

Since November 1973, intraoperative radiotherapy has been performed on five patients with unresectable, advanced carcinoma of the bile duct at the hepatic hilus and six patients with unresectable carcinoma of the gallbladder. A treatment cone with a diameter ranging from 4--10 cm was directly applied at the lesion. A single dose of 2500--3000 rad with 11 to 20 meV electrons was delivered. In all patients, recanalization of the obstructed bile duct was observed by the postoperative cholangiography. The local efficacy was confirmed histopathologically in eight autopsied materials and a specimen resected 105 days after radiotherapy. Mean survival time of patients with unresectable tumors was 10.9 +/- 5.6 (SD) months after this radiotherapy. Intraoperative radiotherapy increased the effectiveness and length of palliation for the unresectable lesion.