Public gets a dose of CyberKnife information

People filled the Satellite Student Union at California State University, Fresno, on March 7, anxious to be introduced to a robot.

The robot – known as CyberKnife^® – is a breakthrough radiosurgery system capable of treating tumors anywhere in the body without an incision.

Community Regional Medical Center is home to the only CyberKnife^® system in central California and the first in the world to use the latest generation of this technology.

“It is an important advance for this community – this region – and I’m glad Fresno has it,” said Dr. Douglas Wong, the principal radiation oncologist at the Regional Medical Center and California Cancer Center.

Dr. Wong was the featured speaker at the event, and was joined by Dr. Brian Clague, Community’s medical director of CyberKnife^®, and Kristine Gagliardi, vice president of clinical development for Accuray Inc., which developed the CyberKnife^® system.

The patient benefits of CyberKnife^® treatment include:

• Minimal or no pain and discomfort
• No incisions
• Minimal risk of complications associated with other conventional therapies
• Ability to treat tumors previously considered inoperable
• Outpatient treatment
• Short or no recovery time
• Immediate return to normal activities
• Fewer visits than with conventional treatment methods
• The ability to treat multiple tumors at different locations during a single procedure
• No anesthesia

CyberKnife^® uses an image-guided system to precisely focus doses of radiation on the tumor, remaining accurate even if the target moves during the procedure, and minimizing damage to the healthy tissue surrounding the target. This technology provides an additional option to patients diagnosed with previously inoperable or surgically complex tumors.

“It’s CyberKnife^®,” Dr. Wong said to the crowd, “but it’s Cyber, a make-believe knife. They operate with a mouse, not a scalpel.”

The Regional Medical Center was selected as one of 10 facilities currently participating in a national study to assess the success of CyberKnife^® in treating lung tumors.

The CyberKnife^® presentation was part of Fresno State’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, which offers lectures, workshops, short courses and field trips of interest to retired or semi-retired adults.

This story was reported by Eddie Hughes. He can be reached at eddieh@communitymedical.org.

Thursday, March 08, 2007