The oncology community is divided over intraoperative radiation therapy, which as its name suggests is given at the same time as lumpectomy to breast cancer patients. Drug delivery disciples are often experts at improving patient adherence and are aware that most patients don't follow instructions. Even when it comes to traditional radiation (delivered as often as 5 days a week for 7 weeks), one-third of women don't complete the course. So, the convenience of intraoperative radiation therapy should not be overlooked. On the other hand, one study found that patients who received the therapy were more than twice as likely to experience recurrence, though the available data has some flaws. More from FierceMedicalDevices