Vim & Vigor - Summer 2009 - (Page 50)

CyberKnife radiation ‘surgery’ destroys tumors by michele conklin under the P hysicians at Penrose Cancer Center in Colorado Springs are using a revolutionary approach to cancer treatment that allows them to remove tumors from patients without performing surgery. Using high-intensity radiation, doctors are able to destroy tumors with as much accuracy and effectiveness as traditional surgery, yet without pain, side effects and risks. This breakthrough in cancer treatment comes through new technology, called CyberKnife, that allows very effective and targeted doses of radiation to be pinpointed at tissue containing cancer cells. “The CyberKnife allows us to use radiation like a knife and direct it exactly where it needs to go,” says Anuj Peddada, M.D., medical director of radiation oncology at Penrose. Although radiation has been around for more than 100 years, it was limited in the early years because doses potent enough to kill tumors spilled over and harmed healthy cells, tissue and organs. New technology, such as linear accelerators, has allowed more pinpointed accuracy that is highly effective for many types of cancers. The CyberKnife, which actually uses a type of compact linear accelerator, is intended for specific cancers and small tumors in locations that are not as conducive to treatment through traditional linear accelerators. The CyberKnife, the first in Southern Colorado, gets rid of these problems by adjusting the radiation as the patient receives the treatment. (See illustration.) Patients most likely to benefit from CyberKnife treatment are those with: • Lung cancer • Liver lesions • Brain cancer • Spine lesions One of the most promising uses of the CyberKnife is with lung cancer patients who are too ill for surgery, Peddada says. Seventy percent of stage 1 lung cancer patients whose tumors can be removed with surgery live at least five years, but that falls to just 15 percent to 20 percent if the patient is treated only with traditional radiation therapy. Early trials have found that upwards of 80 percent of these patients lived five years after receiving CyberKnife treatment, Peddada says. For more information on the CyberKnife, go online to penrosecancercenter.org or call 719-776-5281. investigate options Cancer patients interested in new treatments, such as the CyberKnife, may need to conduct their own research and bring information to their physicians, says Anuj Peddada, M.D., medical director of radiation oncology at Penrose Cancer Center. But patients shouldn’t worry about offending their doctor, even if they ask for a second opinion. “It’s hard to keep up with all the advancements,” he says. “Contrary to what most patients believe, physicians want you to ask questions and are comfortable with you seeking second opinions. This is your life we’re talking about.” 50 vim & vigor • su mme r 2 009 http://www.penrosecancercenter.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2009

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2009
Healthy Steps
Nurturing Health
Contents
Finally... Relief from Pain
Helping Hearts
Take Action
Check Your Tech
Small Wonders
Positively Healthy
On the Cover
Culinary Cures
In a Heartbeat
Make it Last
Safe Harbor
5 Million Lives
Under the Cyberknife
Around the Region
Ask the Experts
Community Connections

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2009

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