For cancer patients, calling a cancer treatment center – let alone walking into one – can be daunting, anxiety provoking, very frightening and frustrating.
The staff at the CyberKnife Center of Miami knows this all too well.
CyberKnife Miami is a premier cancer treatment center in South Florida that uses the most precise form of radiation to kill cancer, and we want to eliminate the fear that comes with cancer treatment.
That starts with how we treat all our patients and our potential patients, and it is one of the reasons we are a unique Florida cancer treatment center.
“The most common comment I get from patients is: “You probably have no idea how good your staff is. They take a potentially frightening experience and make it a warm and friendly one,” says Dr. Mark Pomper, medical director of CyberKnife Miami and board-certified radiation oncologist when asked about one thing that sets CyberKnife Miami apart.
“Everyone at CyberKnife Miami made me feel so comfortable and are so nice. I cannot say enough wonderful things about them,” says CyberKnife patient Mike Cibula, who was treated for prostate cancer 10 years ago and remains cancer free. “All of the doctors work together as a team. They were all there for my first treatment, and they continue to call to see how I am doing. Their compassion is just incredible.”
The Florida Cancer Treatment Center That Cares
Many cancer patients and their loved ones say just picking up the phone to make that first call is terrifying. At many hospitals and clinics, you get an answering machine. No one answers the phone. When you finally do get to talk to someone, usually the first-person patients may encounter is a scheduler who has no idea how hard the call was to make, or even worse – the patient winds up speaking to a voicemail and is asked to leave a detailed message with all their information and told by the machine, someone will get back to you.
That return call can take several days if not longer.
That does not happen at CyberKnife Miami.
A human being answers every call during our business hours and if we are busy, which happens and you must leave a voicemail message, we will get right back to you as soon as we can because we know how scary a cancer diagnosis is. We give you the personal attention and the compassion you need from the first call all the way through your last treatment and beyond. We always follow up with our patients to see how they are doing.
When patients come in for their first consultation, they often tell our staff that they were so surprised we picked up the phone and spent time talking to them, and actually listened to what they had to say.
Our answer is simple: That is our job – to help you navigate this complicated process as your partner with as little stress as possible.
In fact, we tell our patients we will hold their hand through the entire process. And we take that promise very seriously. We help our patients, and their families get through their treatments, scans, insurance questions, logistical issues and every detail that goes with cancer treatment. Even helping them book flights or hotel room reservations if necessary.
Patients often tell Dr. Pomper that the entire CyberKnife Miami staff “are so nice and friendly. I never would have believed it was possible to find a cancer center with a team that genuinely cares about every patient.”
Instead of “Why Try?” We Think, “Why Not Try?”
Our patients are not statistics, and every case is different. That is why we spend time talking through the best treatment options with patients and potential patients. Whether they are CyberKnife candidates or not.
Gail Suarez, Radiation Therapist and Vice President of Operations at CyberKnife Miami says, “We do not just get calls from people in South Florida, but from all over the U.S. and we even get calls from patients all over the world. And yes, we take the time to answer all their questions too about their best cancer treatment options, even if we know they will never be a patient of ours or if CyberKnife is not the best choice for them. If CyberKnife is their best option, because we took the time to talk to them, some will travel all the way to Miami for treatment because they instinctively know they will get the best treatment here, with a team that genuinely cares about every patient and their outcome. We had a cancer patient call us from Switzerland asking for advice for his cancer treatment. He had read about our top-notch care, experienced medical team, and wanted our opinion. We knew he might not travel to South Florida for treatment, but that did not matter to us. We said send us your scans and we will take a look at them and advise you on the best way to treat your cancer. He was incredibly grateful that a Florida cancer treatment center would actually help him.”
Our mission statement is very clear: We put patients first. We treat our cancer patients the way we would want to be treated, with the same compassion and care that they would expect from their loved ones.
Anything we can do to lower their stress level and boost their confidence ultimately helps with their treatment outcomes. We help our patients get back to their lives, and regular routines as quick as they can, hopefully cancer free.
Cancer Treatment Miami
CyberKnife Miami is a free-standing outpatient cancer treatment center.
Anyone can come here for treatments, and it is covered by most insurance companies.
We use state-of-the-art image guided radiosurgery treatments — known as stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT — to treat cancer and other medical issues requiring radiation, like Trigeminal Neuralgia.
We treat spine, brain, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver, prostate, lymph nodes and a lot of metastatic cancers. We also treat lymphoma and other conditions in the body where radiation treatment is necessary.
CyberKnife’s missile guided technology enables its robotic arm to track the tumor movement in real time, even as the patient breathes normally, the radiation beams stay on target, hitting only the tumor, while at the same time leaving healthy surrounding tissue unharmed.
With CyberKnife, patients need a shorter course of treatment than with traditional radiation because of SBRT’s targeted radiation.
“Because CyberKnife is so precise in its treatment we can minimize the dose of radiation to surrounding tissue and nearby vital organs and that reduces the risk of side effects. They most often are minimal, or few if any at all,” says Dr. Pomper.
Side effects from CyberKnife can often depend on the area being treated, the type of cancer a patient has and a person’s overall health. But we do everything we can to minimize side effects.
Our doctors and staff are experts in the field of cancer treatment. Our compassion and personalized treatment are the difference you need when it comes to treating your cancer.
If you would like to find out more about treatment with CyberKnife call us at 305-279-2900 or go to our website now for more information www.cyberknifemiami.com.