Intraoperative radiotherapy in patients with high-grade glioma in comparison to conventionally treated patients - A matched-pair analysis

Background: Controlled clinical trials comparing intraoperative radiotherap y (IORT) and conventional radiotherapy are still missing for patients with high-grade brain tumors. So far, it is unclear whether IORT can result in a survival benefit. Patients and Methods: To better define the role of IORT in patients with high-grade brain tumors, we analyzed and compared the data of 23 patients who had been treated with IORT because of primary disease w ith a corresponding historical cohort of almost exactly matching patients ( matched-pair analysis). Results:The 1-year survival rate for patients treat ed with IORT was calculated to be significantly superior (41.58%) in compar ison to patients who were treated postoperatively (19.64%) with conventiona l fractionated radiotherapy only (p<0.045). The median survival time was ca lculated to be 10 months for the IORT group and 6.2 months for the conventi onally treated patients. The median follow-up time was 11.3 months (range 2 -19.5 months). Conclusion: Using a matched-pair analysis, a significantly b etter outcome was shown for patients who had been treated by an IORT boosti ng radiotherapy component compared to patients conventionally treated with external irradiation alone.