TARGIT: Targeted Intraoperative Radiotherapy with Low-Energy X-Rays for Breast Cancer

Randomized trial with short follow-up raises questions about the efficacy of the technique.

For breast cancer patients undergoing lumpectomy, would targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT) with low-energy x-rays delivered once at surgery be as effective as adjuvant external beam radiotherapy (ERBT) delivered over several weeks after surgery? To address this question, investigators previously reported short-term results of an international, randomized, noninferiority, phase III trial (TARGIT-A; Lancet 2010; 376:91), which compared the use of these two techniques in 3451 women (age, ≥45) with invasive ductal carcinoma. Now, the researchers report results at a slightly longer median follow-up of 29 months (interquartile range, 12–52 months).

The trial design was complex in that 2298 patients were randomized before lumpectomy and …

Reviewing Author

Henry Mark Kuerer, MD, PhD, FAC

Disclosures

Speaker's BureauPhysicians’ Education Resource, LLC

RoyaltiesMcGraw-Hill Professional; UpToDate, Inc.

Editorial BoardsAnnals of Surgical Oncology

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Breast Surgeons (Chair, Publications Committee)