The current status of microwave induced hyperthermia and radiotherapy for the treatment of recurrent breast cancer

Hyperthermia involves the use of heat as a technique for the treatment of cancer patients. It has been most often employed with radiotherapy, and more recently, with chemotherapy. The purposes of this paper are to highlight some electromagnetic techniques that have proved useful in clinical practice and to present a summary of the results of a clinical trial involving microwave induced hyperthermia and radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer carried out at the Hammersmith Hospital, London. The results of this trial are placed in context with other recent results. Finally, a summary of the areas where further technical development is likely to lead to improvements in clinical practice is presented.