title: A two-step selection of breast cancer patients candidates for exclusive IORT with electrons: a mono-institutional experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the impact of a two-step multiparameter selection on the actual enrollment of women with breast cancer into a prospective intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  From September 2009, a prospective clinical trial was started in order to deliver adjuvant exclusive single -fraction IORT to patients with early breast cancer. To select patients meeting suitable eligibility criteria for the clinical trial, a two-step decision process was developed: at pre-surgical examination (first step) and during surgery (second step).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A series of 464 patients with breast cancer was analysed: at the first step, out of 464 patients, 333 (71%) were considered eligible for the IORT protocol; at the second step, out of 333 patients, 199 (60%) met the eligibility criteria and received the IORT fraction according to the criteria of the controlled trial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our experience, the ultimate rate of patients who enrolled in the IORT clinical trial after the two-step decision process was 43%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, IRCCS AUO San Martino - IST - National Institute for Cancer Research, Genoa, Italy. marina.guenzi@istge.it
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guenzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fozza
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Timon
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Belgioia
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vidano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cavagnetto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agostinelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gusinu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cafiero
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Canavese
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Corvò
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004583:Electrons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies