Research progress in intraoperative radiotherapy for tumor

Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) is a radiotherapy method that uses a radiotherapy device to provide a brachytherapy with single high-dose radiation to a target tissue (primary tumor beds, residual tumors, and lymphatic drainage areas) during surgery, which includes intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy and high-dose-rate intraluminal brachytherapy. Nowadays, the implementation of precise radiation dose is an important part of multidisciplinary, individualized treatment of tumors. IORT achieves precise treatment by maximizing the radiation dose to the target volume and protecting surrounding normal tissues as much as possible. This article describes the recent research on IORT. Key words: Neoplasms/intraoperative radiotherapy; Theoretical basis; Clinical practice