Yes, it is possible to have surgery without a scalpel. And you can even walk out the door about an hour later and carry on with your daily activities.
This kind of surgery without any cutting is performed every day by physicians at the CyberKnife Center of Miami using CyberKnife technology.
The Cyberknife procedure is also known as Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) and/or Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS).
It’s a non-invasive procedure that gets rid of tumors without a scalpel.
How Does It Work? Instead of an actual scalpel, the CyberKnife “scalpel” is a robotic arm that delivers high doses of radiation beams to tumors to destroy them. The beams are very targeted, precisely hitting the tumor site, sparing healthy surrounding tissue and vital nearby organs. That’s why it’s called surgery without a scalpel.
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy is also used to treat nerve disorders like trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformations (AVM).
So it’s not surgery in the way we traditionally think of it.
How Do We Do It? The first requirement is well-trained radiation oncologists, radiation therapists and a medical support team, of which CyberKnife Miami has the most experience because we’ve been doing this the longest.
We were among the first trained in CyberKnife technology and the first CyberKnife centers to open in the U.S., shortly after CyberKnife was FDA approved in 2001. Our doors opened in 2003.
Since then we have treated thousands of patients who come to us, not only from across Florida, but throughout the United States, the Caribbean and yes even from across the world.
That is because patients know about our team’s vast experience, which makes a big difference in your treatment outcome. It is because of our expertise that we can take on even the toughest cases, the ones many cancer centers turn away.
In fact, because of our team’s experience they are often called upon to teach other doctors at cancer centers how to use CyberKnife technology to get the best results for patients, giving them an advantage at beating their cancer.
Our team’s reputation of compassionate care is also well known. We make the whole process of cancer treatment as easy and quick as possible for our patients and their families. We hold your hand every step of the way. We understand how difficult and scary a cancer diagnosis is. We answer phones, return calls, even help get your scans done, plus navigate your insurance if need be. Most insurance companies do pay for CyberKnife treatments, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Back to the technology and how it works: The CyberKnife delivers hundreds of radiation beams from many different angles onto the tumor, which may be malignant or benign.
With the patient lying still on the CyberKnife table, the radiation beams pass harmlessly through the body, hitting and killing only the tumor.
The procedure is painless and patients are left with few, if any side effects, allowing them to return to their normal activities, usually right after treatment, a nap, or a good night’s sleep.
There’s another huge advantage to CyberKnife. While conventional radiation therapy requires you to get small daily doses of radiation for many weeks and months, radio-surgery requires only one to five larger doses, but the results are the same.
CyberKnife Miami’s medical director, board certified radiation oncologist, Dr. Mark Pomper says, “I’ve been in the field of radiation oncology for more than 30 years, so I’ve pretty much seen it all, and all types of cancer treatments. When used on the right patient, in the right situation, I absolutely believe CyberKnife is the best treatment option and choice for many patients. It’s more precise, requires many fewer treatments, your quality of life remains the same during treatment, and you can get on with the business of living life much faster, and put cancer in the rear view mirror. It’s just a better choice for a lot of patients.”
Certain tumors, lesions and other abnormalities in the lungs and even the brain can be treated without the risks and recovery time needed after surgical procedures that literally cut into the brain or other parts of the body.
It’s a great option for many patients who are poor candidates for conventional surgery due to their advanced age or other health concerns. And for those who don’t want invasive surgery.
CyberKnife is a safe, convenient option to perform precise surgery without a scalpel.
What We Treat: Brain and Spinal Tumors, Head and Neck, Lung, Pancreatic, Liver, Prostate, Kidney, and Trigeminal neuralgia: Including nerve disorders like arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and cerebral aneurysms.
Now, whether CyberKnife is right for you is a different matter. To find out call our top cancer experts at CyberKnife Miami. They will give it to you straight. If CyberKnife is not the right option, they will advise you on the best direction to go in. Call 305-279-2900 to set up a consultation.