The fight on cancer, post development, is always evolving. That means that as technology advances, researchers are creating new ways to attack this awful disease. The Cyberknife, by the Accuray Corporation, allows treatment professionals to target the tumors with pin point accuracy.
The Cyberknife is different from traditional radiation treatments in a few key ways. First, the radiation is very targeted. Second, the targeting system can adjust to patient’s minute movements in real-time. This allows the patient to be free during the treatment period. Typically, patients will have to be “framed,” or immobilized during such treatments. A good example of these concepts is the fact that the Cyberknife can radiate lung tumors. Traditionally lung tumors have to be extracted through surgery because of the patient’s breathing movement. The Cyberknife can adjust to the respiratory movement. That’s very cool. And finally, Cyberknife can do both intracranial and extracranial treatments effectively. The rubber meets the road, however, when you read patient story’s like Sue’s:
“Sue’s Story –
Ovarian Cancer that Spread throughout Her Body
A 68-year-old grandmother of three from Bethesda, Md., Sue describes herself as “kind of a jock.” Her passion is golf and she loves running around in the backyard with her 8-year-old twin granddaughters and 6-year-old grandson. But, in 2003, the discovery of a tumor in her abdomen – the result of metastasized ovarian cancer that she had been diagnosed with six years prior – threatened to drastically change the life she enjoyed.
In 1997, Sue had a routine gynecological exam because she was concerned about the growth of some uterine fibroids. One of the tests done at the time was the CA125, which can identify the presence of ovarian cancer. The results were shocking: Sue’s levels were more than 20 percent higher than normal, signaling that she did, in fact, have ovarian cancer. She immediately had a hysterectomy – which showed she had Stage I cancer in each ovary. Following the surgery, Sue underwent chemotherapy for almost five months, during which time she lost her hair and felt sick almost constantly.
For several years, Sue continued to get annual CA125 tests, which indicated that the surgery and chemotherapy had eliminated the cancer. Sue considered herself fortunate. According to the American Cancer Society, the ovarian cancer five-year survival rate for women under 65 years of age is only 56 percent, and it declines to only 38 percent after 10 years.
But in 2002, her CA125 levels started to go up again, indicating that the ovarian cancer may have returned and was spreading to other parts of her body. After numerous tests, doctors found a Stage III orange-sized metastatic tumor in her abdomen. However, during surgery, doctors realized that the tumor was wrapped around her aorta and vena cava, and couldn’t be removed.
“When someone tells you that you have a big, inoperable tumor, you think ‘that’s it,’” said Sue. “But the doctors told me the good news was that they thought I qualified for a new type of radiation treatment called the CyberKnife, which was being offered at Georgetown University Hospital. How lucky is that?”
In June 2003, after a couple months recuperating from her unsuccessful surgery, Sue began treatment with the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System. Doctors recommended the CyberKnife System for its ability to treat inoperable tumors by using high doses of radiation with extreme precision that could avoid damaging Sue’s aorta, vena cava or other critical tissue in her abdomen.
For three consecutive days, Sue received CyberKnife treatments on an outpatient basis. Each treatment lasted about one hour, during which the CyberKnife System’s robotic arm moved around Sue and adjusted the radiation delivery to any movements Sue made while she lay comfortably on the treatment couch.
Though she was tired for a few weeks afterwards, she said that the recovery was a “breeze.” “Chemo just knocks you down,” Sue added. “But the CyberKnife lets you have a life. I didn’t feel bad afterwards. No nausea, no losing my hair.”
The best part for Sue was that she didn’t lose an entire golf season, like she would have if she was dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy. She was back on the golf course in a matter of weeks.
Follow-up tests indicated that the CyberKnife treatment stopped the growth of the tumor, but Sue remained concerned about the recurrence of her cancer. “When you have ovarian cancer, once it comes back, it will continue to come back,” she said. “The doctors at Georgetown watched me like a hawk.”
The doctors’ close attention to Sue’s health led to the discovery a year later, in April 2004, of two new tumors in her mediastinum – a group of structures in her central chest that include the heart, esophagus, trachea, thymus and lymph nodes. Because her first experience was a success, Sue opted for the CyberKnife System again. For three consecutive days in May and two days in June, Sue had CyberKnife treatments to attack each tumor individually. These treatments also were considered successful, as the tumors stopped growing.
Sue soon became a veteran CyberKnife patient, having a total of five different tumors treated over the course of four years. In July 2005, Sue underwent CyberKnife radiation for tumors in her thorax and abdomen. And in June 2006, she was treated for a golf ball-sized tumor in her right lung.
The CyberKnife System is seeing increased use as an alternative treatment for lung tumors. Typically surgery is required to remove lung tumors, and as a result, patients can lose part or all of a lung, experience serious breathing problems and face painful, and potentially deadly, complications. The CyberKnife, however, has the unique ability to use internal anatomy to track a lung tumor as it moves with respiration. This feature eliminates uncomfortable breath-holding techniques and preserves healthy surrounding lung tissue. Moreover, because it is non-invasive, patients can continue with normal daily activities immediately after the CyberKnife treatment.
Had Sue opted for surgery to remove the lung tumor, she would have faced several months of recovery and possibly lost her ability to breath without the assistance of oxygen – something that would have surely prevented her from playing golf. Instead, a week after her CyberKnife treatment, Sue and her husband Doug, were celebrating their 45th anniversary at a surprise party with more than 70 friends and relatives.
Because of the numerous recurrent tumors, doctors recommended after her 2006 CyberKnife treatment that Sue should undergo chemotherapy, which she continues to this day.
She credits the CyberKnife System – as well as the support of her husband, family and friends – with allowing her to live her ‘”usual, very nice life“. “I would have rather not gotten cancer, but I did,” said Sue. “But you just have to deal with what you’re dealt. The most important thing is to be aggressive in getting treatment. I was blessed to have very good doctors and that there was a CyberKnife right here in Washington, D.C.”
“Cancer isn’t fun,” Sue added, noting that she’s looking forward to attending her husband’s 50th Princeton University class reunion in 2009. “We need hope and treatments, and that’s what the CyberKnife gives us.”
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
This is a really interesting development. I wonder when we will see more widespread use.