Healthcare Directory

oncology tactic Radiosurgery System. "CyberKnife® delivers radiation any- where in the body or nearly 30 years, Cape Fear Valley Cancer Cent- er has been teaming up with patients in the fight against cancer. This June we take the battle to a new front as we unveil the CyberKnife® Robotic Stereo- in just one to five treatments with sub-millimeter accuracy," says Brenda Hall, Administrative Director of Cape Fear Val- ley Cancer Treatment and CyberKnife® Center. "It can be used to treat both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors." Designed to treat cancer anywhere in the body, includ- ing the brain, spine, prostate, lungs, kidneys and liver, Cy- berKnife® delivers tiny radiation beamlets from 1,600 pos- sible directions with pinpoint accuracy. It focuses precisely on the tumor and minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue and structures, signifi- cantly reducing or elimi- nating side effects and complications. "CyberKnife® is used for treating very small things next to very criti- cal structures with very high doses of radiation," says J. Hugh Bryan, M.D., Medical Director of Radia- tion Oncology. "It's a completely new way of performing ra- diation therapy, and it opens the door to treat a population of people that were previously untreatable." The precision that CyberKnife® offers is due to its robotic Cancer has nowhere to hide F The CyberKnife offers an alternative to surgery | BY GINNY DEFFENDALL berKnife® treatment. Each year, lung cancer diagnoses make up 15 percent of all cancer diagnoses. Treating these tumors accurately can be quite difficult, as the tumor moves with each breath the patient takes and the treatment field must be enlarged to compensate for tumor movement, increasing the risk of side effects and damage to normal tissue. CyberKnife® uses continual image guidance technology, everyone. "It's a specialized tool used to treat things we wouldn't use Dr. Bryan warns that CyberKnife® treatment is not for Dr. Bryan. technology. When a patient moves during treatment, their tumor moves as well. Even just a patient's breathing can al- ter the treatment accuracy. Standard stereotactic techniques require the patient to wear rigid metal frames that hold the skull or body in place during treatment. CyberKnife® uses cameras to detect the change in position and compensates to match the movement while treatment is being delivered. The robot continuously checks and corrects its path to move with the patient and the tumor. Conventional radiation therapy involves the patient re- traditional radiation for," he says. "It's a wonderful opportu- nity to treat those who are too old or sick to have surgery, as well as for retreatment of previously treated areas." How it works The CyberKnife® treatment process involves a team ap- ceiving daily low doses of radiation over the course of 30 to 45 treatments. CyberKnife®, however, delivers very high- dose beams of radiation which can more effectively kill tu- mors located in the body. Because the beams are so accurate, damage to surrounding tissue is minimized. Therefore, Cy- berKnife® Sterotatic Radiosurgery treatment can typically be completed in one to five days. Lung cancer patients are prime candidates for Cy- 26 | 2012 Medical & Dental Directory proach, in which several specialists will participate. After the patient is determined to be a CyberKnife® candidate, a high-resolution CT scan is taken to determine the size, shape and location of the tumor. This data is then transferred to the CyberKnife® treatment planning workstation, where physicians and physicists cre- ate the optimal treatment plan. The purpose of this plan is to determine the proper dose of radiation while minimizing healthy tissue's exposure to radiation. Once the treatment plan is developed, the patient is sched- which means it moves in sync with the patient during treat- ment. This allows the patient to breathe normally during treatment without risking damage to surrounding critical structures. "Stereotactic radiosurgery offers remarkable control for pancreatic cancer or liver cancer," Dr. Bryan says. "Five year studies have shown that using CyberKnife® for early stage prostate cancer is as good, if not better, than alternate treat- ment options. Prostate can- cer can be treated with CyberKnife® in just five treatments." Once CyberKnife® has been added to our ar- senal, "there aren't many institutions that can offer our range of services for cancer," says uled for CyberKnife® treatment. Patients will arrive at the Cape Fear Valley Cancer Treatment and CyberKnife® Center and lay on the treatment table in a customized body mold to

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