Multi-center study on patient selection for and the oncologic safety of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) with the Xoft Axxent® eBx® System for the management of early stage breast cancer in Taiwan

Background In this multi-center study, we report the patient selection criteria for and preliminary oncologic outcomes associated with intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) delivered by the Xoft Axxent® eBx® system for early-stage breast cancer in Taiwan. Methods Patients with early breast cancer in Taiwan received breast conserving surgery and received IORT with Xoft Axxent® eBx® System during 2013–2015 was search from database of Taiwan IORT study cooperative group (T-IORTSCG). Patients’ clinicopathologic characteristics and early post-operative results were collected and reported. Results During the study period, 26 hospitals in Taiwan performed a total of 261 Xoft IORT procedures for breast cancer. The mean age of them was 52.9 ± 9.8 years (37–72), and tumor size was 1.5 ± 0.8 cm (0.1–4.2 cm) for invasive cancer and 1.2 ± 0.8 cm (range, 0.2–3.0 cm) for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lesions. Lymph node metastasis was found in 6 (2.3%) patients. The patients received IORT in Taiwan differed markedly from those used in the ELIOT and TARGIT-A studies. Specifically, patients selected for IORT in Taiwan tended to be younger, their tumors tended to be larger and the prevalence of lymph node metastasis tended to be lower. Among these 261 patients, 8 (3.1%) patients required whole breast radiotherapy. During a mean follow up of 15.6 months, locoregional recurrence was observed in 2 (0.8%) patients. Conclusion In real world experience, patients received IORT differed quite significantly with criteria formulated by trials. The preliminary results of IORT in Taiwan showed it is well acceptable by patients and clinicians.