Sinai Hospital of Baltimore announces it has begun treating patients with the CyberKnife(r), a groundbreaking and unique radiation therapy system that uses cruise missile technology to accurately locate and target tumors. The CyberKnife(r) gives doctors the ability to treat multiple tumors and lesions, some of which have been diagnosed as inoperable, without making a single incision.
The CyberKnife(r) precisely locates the position of the tumor in the body and then uses a high-energy X-ray source mounted on a robotic arm to deliver highly focused beams of radiation to the tumor. This highly targeted technique allows the maximum amount of radiation to get to the source of the tumor and kill it, while protecting surrounding healthy tissue from damage.
The advantage of the CyberKnife(r) is that it is a painless and accurate way for doctors to treat tumors of the brain, neck and spine. "In addition to being an alternative to a surgical procedure, it is also an alternative to traditional radiation therapy and significantly reduces amount of time patients need treatment," said Mark Brenner, M.D., chief of Radiation Oncology at Sinai Hospital and medical director of the CyberKnife(r) Center. "Instead of taking weeks to treat, the CyberKnife(r) can treat a patient in a matter of days and it is so easy. I've had patients literally fall asleep while getting the treatment."
Neal Naff, M.D., chief of neurosurgery at Sinai and surgical director of the Cyberknife(r) Center, notes that the addition of the CyberKnife(r) enables Sinai to give patients a comprehensive neurosurgical and neuro-oncologic service that is truly state-of-the-art. "The CyberKnife(r) is a noninvasive procedure that can help us reach tumors of the brain, neck and spine that we might otherwise not be able to treat because of their location. We think it is an important advancement in medicine that will truly make a difference to our patients."
The CyberKnife(r) is an integral part of both the newly formed Spine Center at Sinai and the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute. For more information, call 410-601-WELL or log onto www.lifebridgehealth.org.
RSS