Dr Jana Fox speaks to ecancer about intraoperative radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer.

IORT is used for women with early-stage breast cancer, especially those with low to intermediate-grade ER-positive DCIS or small invasive ductal carcinomas.

Dr Fox says that at her institute, a multidisciplinary team makes treatment decisions, and surgeons refer patients to radiation oncology post-lumpectomy.

IORT uses low-energy X-rays and is suitable for patients unable to tolerate external beam radiation.

It shows a local recurrence rate under 2% over three years and is being studied as an alternative treatment.