Single-Dose Radiotherapy, often clinically referred to as Intraoperative Radiotherapy (IORT) or Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) depending on the context, is a highly targeted cancer treatment method. It delivers a complete, concentrated therapeutic dose of radiation in a single session, rather than fractionating the dose over weeks of daily visits. In the context of breast cancer and soft tissue surgery, it is administered directly to the tumor bed immediately after the tumor is surgically removed, while the patient is still under anesthesia.
The primary purpose of this technology is to eliminate the need for prolonged post-operative radiation therapy for select early-stage cancers. It solves the critical problem of “time and toxicity.” By treating the cancer site instantly in the operating room, it sterilizes the area where recurrence is most likely to happen (the tumor bed) before the wound is even closed. This significantly reduces the psychological and logistical burden on the patient, sparing them weeks of hospital commutes and protecting healthy surrounding tissues such as the heart, lungs, and skin from unnecessary radiation exposure.
How the Single-Dose Radiotherapy Works?
The technology functions through a specialized, often mobile, linear accelerator or a miniature X-ray source brought directly into the sterile operating theater. The process effectively fuses surgery and radiation into a single event.
Step 1: Surgical Resection (The Removal)
The procedure begins as a standard cancer surgery (e.g., a lumpectomy). The surgeon removes the visible tumor and a margin of healthy tissue while the patient is under general anesthesia.
- Immediate Access: Removing the tumor exposes the “tumor bed” the microscopic cavity where cancer cells are most likely to remain. In traditional therapy, doctors must wait weeks for the incision to heal before they can target this area from the outside. With Single-Dose Radiotherapy, the target is exposed and accessible immediately.
Step 2: Applicator Placement (The Targeting)
- Sizing: The radiation oncologist selects a spherical applicator (a sterile balloon-like or rigid device) that perfectly fits the size of the surgical cavity.
- Positioning: This applicator is placed inside the wound. The surgeon gently pulls the healthy skin and subcutaneous tissue away from the applicator, ensuring only the target tissue is in direct contact with the radiation source.
- Shielding: Specialized shielding materials (often tungsten or lead-infused plates) are placed behind the breast tissue or under the target area to block radiation from reaching the ribs, heart, or lungs.
Step 3: Radiation Delivery (The Beam)
- The Dose: The device delivers a high-energy beam of electrons or low-energy X-rays specifically to the tissue in contact with the applicator.
- Duration: The radiation is delivered rapidly, typically taking between 20 to 30 minutes. During this time, the medical team may step behind a protective screen.
- Conclusion: Once the precise dose is delivered, the applicator is removed, and the surgeon closes the incision. The patient wakes up having completed both the tumor removal and the radiation treatment in one go.
Clinical Advantages and Patient Benefits
Single-Dose Radiotherapy represents a shift from “whole organ” treatment to “partial organ” preservation, offering measurable lifestyle and physiological benefits.
Drastic Reduction in Treatment Time
The most tangible benefit is the recovery of time.
- One and Done: Standard external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) typically requires 3 to 6 weeks of daily sessions (Monday through Friday). Single-Dose therapy condenses this entire course into 30 minutes during surgery. For patients who live far from treatment centers or cannot take extended time off work, this is a transformative advantage.
Targeted Precision and Organ Sparing
- Direct Contact: Because the radiation source is inside the tumor bed, the dose “fall-off” is extremely sharp. The tissue just 1 centimeter away receives almost no radiation.
- Heart and Lung Protection: particularly in left-sided breast cancer, traditional external radiation beams must pass through the chest wall, carrying a risk of incidental exposure to the heart and lungs. Single-Dose Radiotherapy directs energy outwards from inside the breast, dramatically lowering the dose to these vital organs.
Improved Cosmetic Outcomes
- Skin Preservation: Traditional radiation often causes “radiation dermatitis” redness, peeling, and hardening (fibrosis) of the skin. Since Single-Dose Radiotherapy treats the tissue from the inside, the skin surface is spared from high-dose exposure. This results in less scarring, softer tissue texture, and a better aesthetic appearance post-recovery.
Targeted Medical Fields and Applications
While most widely recognized for its role in breast cancer, Single-Dose Radiotherapy is a versatile tool used in Surgical Oncology and Neurosurgery.
Breast Oncology (Early-Stage Breast Cancer)
This is the primary application. It is used for select patients who meet specific “low-risk” criteria (often termed the TARGIT-A or ELIOT protocols):
- Patient Profile: Typically women over 45 or 50 with small tumors (usually less than 3 cm) and no lymph node involvement.
- Effect: For these women, Single-Dose Radiotherapy can replace the entire 6-week course of external radiation.
Neurosurgery (Brain Metastases)
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS): While technically external, this is a single-dose concept. Devices like Gamma Knife or CyberKnife deliver a massive, ablative dose to brain tumors in a single session. It is used for benign tumors (meningiomas) or metastases deep in the brain, halting their growth instantly without opening the skull.
Gastrointestinal Oncology
- Recurrent Tumors: For cancers that have returned in the abdomen or pelvis (such as rectal or pancreatic cancer), the surgeon may debulk the tumor and apply a single dose of Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy (IOERT) to the area. This kills microscopic cells adhering to blood vessels or nerves that cannot be surgically removed without causing damage.
Preparing for Single-Dose Radiotherapy: A Patient’s Guide
For the patient, the experience of Single-Dose Radiotherapy is largely indistinguishable from the surgery itself, as it happens while they are asleep.
Pre-Operative Assessment
The patient undergoes standard surgical clearance. A multidisciplinary team (surgeon, oncologist, and physicist) reviews imaging and pathology to confirm eligibility. Not every patient is a candidate; if the tumor is larger than expected, the single dose may serve as a “boost,” shortening but not eliminating post-op radiation.
The Procedure Day
- Anesthesia: The procedure is performed under general anesthesia.
- The Timeline: The surgery takes slightly longer than a standard lumpectomy roughly 30 to 45 minutes extra to account for the setup and radiation delivery.
- Waking Up: The patient wakes up in the recovery room. Crucially, the patient is not radioactive. The radiation is delivered via a machine, not a radioactive implant, so they pose no risk to family members.
Post-Operative Recovery
- Wound Care: The incision care is identical to standard surgery.
- Side Effects: Patients may experience mild fatigue or fluid buildup (seroma) in the breast, a common reaction to the localized high dose. However, the severe sunburn-like skin reactions common with external radiation are virtually non-existent.
- Pathology Confirmation: A few weeks later, if final pathology reports reveal high-risk features (like missed lymph node spread), the doctor may recommend a short course of external radiation to be safe.
Safety and Precision Standards
Single-Dose Radiotherapy is a highly regulated procedure involving a trio of experts the surgeon, the radiation oncologist, and the medical physicist working simultaneously in the operating room.
Real-Time Dosimetry
Before the machine is activated, the medical physicist performs a “time-out” and calculation check.
- Isotropic Distribution: The physics team ensures the radiation source is perfectly centered in the applicator so that the dose is emitted evenly in all directions.
- Dose Verification: The machine is calibrated to deliver the exact Gray (Gy) dose prescribed (usually around 20 Gy to the surface of the applicator). The system monitors the output second-by-second and cuts off automatically once the target dose is reached.
Geometric Accuracy
Traditional radiation relies on the patient lying in the exact same position for 30 consecutive days. Even a slight shift in arm position or breathing can offset the beam. Single-Dose Radiotherapy eliminates this “setup error.” The target is physically held against the radiation source by the surgeon (via the applicator), guaranteeing 100% geometric accuracy.
Sterile Protocols
Since a radiation machine is entering a sterile surgical field, rigorous infection control is used. The applicator is sterile, and the robotic arm or delivery probe is covered in a specialized medical-grade sterile drape to prevent any contact with the open wound.
