This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (Intervention). The objectives are as follows:

This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive and reliable summary of the effect of hyperthermia on rectal cancer when applied concomitantly with radiotherapy.

The specific aim is to review prospective randomized phase II en III trials evaluating the effect of combined hyperthermia and radiation therapy on tumor control and normal tissue side effects in patients treated for locally advanced (T3/4, N+) rectal cancer.