[Effect of intraoperative radiotherapy on postoperative follow-up of pancreas cancer].

Surgical therapy alone has not been able to improve significantly long-term survival in cases of pancreatic carcinoma. Improvement can only be expected by more successful local and systemic tumor control. To achieve the former intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with high-energy electrons has recently been introduced into clinical practice. Between June 1989 und June 1991 23 patients underwent IORT while receiving palliative (n = 16) and curative (n = 7) procedures. During the same period 36 patients were operated upon without IORT. Irradiated patients suffered far more complications. A positive effect on survival or pain control in palliatively operated cases could not be demonstrated. Prolonged survival after curative resections with IORT seems probable but can not be proven due to small number of patients. Further progress requires combination of IORT with postoperative radiochemotherapy.