Head and Neck Cancer

The possible role of IORT in the management of head and neck tumors has rarely been explored, an exception being the large series at the Methodist Hospital of Indiana (Garrett et al. 1989). IORT can be introduced in the multidisciplinary management of head and neck cancer as a boosting modality in areas of residual disease or close surgical margins in patients with locally advanced tumor, in an effort to promote local tumor control. The potential advantages of IORT in these tumor locations do not derive from normal tissue sparing, but from better definition of high risk areas for recurrence and the simultaneous combination of high dose radiotherapy and surgical debulking.