Global adoption of single-shot targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT-IORT) for breast cancer – better for patients, better for health care systems
Introduction: TARGeted Intraoperative radioTherapy (TARGIT-IORT), developed in the late 1990s,
delivers radiotherapy targeted to the fresh tumour bed exposed immediately after lumpectomy for breast
cancer. Long-term results of the TARGIT-A trial found TARGIT-IORT during lumpectomy to be as
effective as whole breast radiotherapy, and led to significantly fewer deaths from non-breast cancer causes.
This paper documents its worldwide impact and provides interactive tools for clinicians and patients. /
Method: Each centre provided the number of patients treated using TARGIT-IORT. These data were
plotted on an interactive ‘My Google Map’. We also created an interactive web-based tool. Using the longterm outcomes from the TARGIT-A trial, we estimated the total savings in travel miles, time, carbon
footprint, and the number of deaths from other causes that might be prevented. /
Results: Data from 242 (93%) of the 260 centres treating patients from 35 countries were available. The
first was treated in 1998 at University College London. As of early 2020, at least 44752 women with breast
cancer have been treated with TARGIT-IORT. https://targit.org.uk/travel displays the Google-map of
centres with number of cases and the interactive tool that enables patients to find the nearest centre offering
TARGIT-IORT and their travel savings. Scaling the main benefits up to the already treated patients, >20
million miles of travel would have been saved, and about 2000 deaths prevented. /
Discussion: One can ascertain the number of patients treated with a novel treatment. These data show how
widely TARGIT-IORT has now been adopted and gives an indication of its beneficial worldwide impact
on a large number of women with breast cancer
