[Efficacy of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for local recurrence of rectal cancer].

The efficacy of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for the local recurrence of rectal cancer was evaluated. Operations were performed for a total of 43 patients with local recurrence of rectal cancer, and among them 13 cases received IORT. These patients were divided into two groups those with a suspicion of cancer remaining in the surgical margin macroscopically (EW+ group) or those with no such suspicion (EW- group). The length of pain relieving period and total survival between the IORT and no IORT groups in EW- patients showed no statistical difference. Though the same result was found in EW+ patients, in the patients whose area of positive surgical margin was less than 10 cm2 and given IORT, the pain relief period was prolonged compared with the no IORT patients such as 270 days v.s. 218 days. IORT did not show efficacy in terms of the survival period, but if the local remnant area was small, it was beneficial for the patients in terms of the pain period.