2Gemelli-INTERACTS Educational Program Director, Rome-Italy
3Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome-Italy
4Gemelli-INTERACTS Course Teacher and Local Organizer, Rome-Italy
5Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Medi Clin Robert Janker Klinik, Bonn-Germany
6Department of Radiological Sciences, Radiotherapy and Hematology, Institutodi Radiologia, Policlinico A. Gemelli, Rome-Italy
7Gemelli-INTERACTS Courses Teacher, Rome-Italy
8Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome-Italy DOI : 10.5505/tjo.2019.4 OBJECTIVE
The delivery of a very high dose by radiotherapy to a dedicated target with minimal surrounding normal tissue dose is a challenging situation. From a radiotherapy point of view, in several anatomic situations, the most optimal method is the use of interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy; IRT) alone or in combination with other established interventional tumor cell eliminating methods.
METHODS
First, Interventional Radiotherapy, Interventional Radiology, Interventional Endoscopy and Interventional
Chemotherapy have the same aim of eliminating tumor tissue. Second, target definition and some
IRT application techniques need multidisciplinary teamwork.
RESULTS
Multidisciplinary teams have the best potential to offer the best possible cure in localized solid tumors or
in selected oligometastatic disease. Examples for this kind of service are given for H&N-, anal-, vaginal-,
breast-, prostate cancers as well as in oligometastatic disease. The combined use of interventional tumor
ablation techniques is demonstrated.
CONCLUSION
Interventional Oncology has the potential to improve the treatment results in localized solid cancers or
in selected oligometastatic disease, and large workload Interventional Oncology Centers could have an
important role in the patient service, in the education as well as in the clinical research.