Local chest wall progression of chemotherapy/radiation-resistant breast cancer can result in substantial morbidity. In this retrospective review of 39 patients in this difficult clinical setting treated at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (Eastern Regional Medical Center), approximately one-half of the population experienced meaningful short-term palliation and improvement in quality of life when managed with local superficial hyperthermia plus external beam radiation.
Keywords: Breast cancer; External beam radiation; Locally progressive breast cancer; Superficial hyperthermia.