Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40438870›Full record

ArticleOncology letters2025

Long-term follow-up outcomes of intraoperative radiotherapy for breast-conserving treatment in early breast cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

Xiaofan Xu, Lu Wang, Yuanyuan Cao, Jingyi Wang, Jie Yao, Liqun Huo, Yuqing Song, Wei Ding, Jun Gu, Qiurong Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Oncology letters, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Xiaofan XuResearch Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Lu WangResearch Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Clinical Medical College, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Yuanyuan CaoMedical Service Training Center, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Jingyi WangDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, P.R. China.
Jie YaoResearch Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Liqun HuoResearch Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Yuqing SongResearch Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Wei DingDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Jun GuResearch Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.
Qiurong LiResearch Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, P.R. China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) has been used as a novel therapeutic alternative for breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in patients with breast cancer. However, the long-term outcomes and safety of IORT in patients with breast cancer remain incompletely understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the long-term outcomes of IORT following BCS, focusing on the oncological outcomes and cosmetic consequences compared with postoperative RT (PORT) in patients with breast cancer. Patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent BCS followed by IORT or PORT between January 2016 and October 2020 at the Research Institute of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University (Nanjing, China), were retrospectively reviewed. After screening, a total of 59 patients were included in the present study and divided into two groups according RT records as follows: The IORT group (n=21) and the PORT group (n=38). The clinical data of all patients, including surgical and RT complications, cosmetic grading and scoring, and other events, were collected and retrospectively analyzed. No significant difference was observed in terms of the mean follow-up time in the IORT (5.89±1.57 years) and PORT (6.09±1.60 years) groups (P>0.05). Compared with PORT, IORT showed non-inferior therapeutic efficacy, with no significant differences in postoperative complications (surgical site infection and chronic pain; P>0.05). Notably, the IORT group achieved superior cosmetic outcomes, with 95.2% (20/21) of patients achieving a rating of excellent/good vs. 44.7% (17/38 patients) in the PORT group (P<0.001), alongside higher median cosmetic scores at all postoperative intervals (P<0.01). IORT also reduced healthcare utilization, shortening hospitalization by 23.8 days (12.1±5.1 vs. 35.9±3.5 days; P<0.001) and lowering costs significantly (33,117.98±6,281.17 vs. 77,789.55±7,000.90 CNY; P<0.001). These findings suggest that IORT offers comparable safety, improved cosmesis and greater cost-effectiveness than PORT, supporting its integration into clinical practice for eligible patients.

Indexed as

breast conserving therapyearly breast cancerexternal whole breast radiationintraoperative radiotherapypostoperative radiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID40438870
PMCPMC12117530

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.