RATIONALE AND CLINICAL STATUS OF LOCAL HYPERTHERMIA, RADIATION, AND CHEMOTHERAPY IN LOCALLY ADVANCED MALIGNANCIES

The combination of ionizing irradiation and local hyperthermia therapy has been demonstrated to be efficacious in a variety of localized neo plasms. One of the most consistent conclusions from this experience, h owever, is the finding that large tumor size is a significant negative prognosticator for attaining complete tumor regression. During the pa st decade investigators have begun to look at the possibility of addin g chemotherapy to thermo-radiotherapy in order to improve the efficacy of treatment in patients with large tumors. This review article summa rizes the recent clinical experience with such triple modality therapy .