Intraoperative Blood Salvage in Oncologic Surgery – Answers to Current Questions

Because of a still growing demand for blood which is contrasted by a decreasing number of donations and because of multiple transfusion risks, it is necessary to consider intraoperative blood salvage also in cancer surgery. In this context blood irradiation is essential for the elimination of contaminating tumor cells. As demonstrated by growing usage, a combination of two established techniques is a feasible approach for this procedure. With respect to increasing costs of banked blood it is highly cost-effective. The efficacy of blood saving is evident while its impact on the outcome of the patients awaits verification. Blood irradiation is safe in providing efficient elimination of proliferating cancer cells that contaminate blood, and in not damaging the red blood cells (RBC). Quality of these washed and irradiated fresh RBC is superior to banked blood by unimpaired function and viability. The legal aspects of intraoperative blood salvage with blood irradiation need clarification to allow unhindered application of this useful method for optimal hemotherapy in cancer patients.