Although many forms of cancer are highly curable, some can be quite tenacious in resisting treatment. Take, for example, kidney cancer, whose most common form is renal cell carcinoma. Each year, an estimated 74,000 adults in the United States are diagnosed with the disease, and the five-year survival rate is about 75 percent.
One of the hurdles to achieving remission is that renal cell carcinoma is highly resistant to traditional radiation therapy. Instead of eradicating the kidney cancer, it simply slows it down. Not only that, but traditional radiation can be quite debilitating over a long course of treatment and can create numerous side effects. There is a high risk of damaging tissues and organs that are in close proximity to the tumor.
However, there is a viable alternative. CyberKnife® radio-surgery is shown to be a highly effective tool in the treatment of primary and metastatic kidney cancer, with distinctive advantages over traditional radiation therapy.
The CyberKnife Advantage in Kidney Cancer
Despite its name, CyberKnife is not a knife. It is a noninvasive medical procedure that delivers extremely high doses of radiation that target only the tumor while sparing healthy tissues and organs that surround it.
Utilizing its advanced image-guided robotic system and pinpoint precision, CyberKnife delivers its radiation directly to the tumor with flawless accuracy. It successfully destroys the cancer cells and leaves nearby tissues and organs unscathed.
Using CyberKnife, your radiation oncologist will determine the size of the area which needs to be targeted by radiation and the exact dosage that is needed. The doctor will also identify critical structures and vital organs where the radiation exposure must be avoided.
How Does Radiotherapy Treatment Work?
Because CyberKnife delivers such a high concentration of radiation, kidney cancer and other cancer patients need fewer treatments as compared to traditional radiation therapy – as few as five. The procedure is completely painless. In fact, patients can dress comfortably in their own clothes for the session, can bring music to listen to during the treatment if they like, and simply relax during the treatment.
A typical treatment session lasts only an hour. There is no downtime, and patients report only minimal, if any, side effects. Once your treatment session is over, you can resume your normal activities. There is no recovery time afterward.
Of course, the tumor will not suddenly disappear, and it may take several weeks or longer to determine the effectiveness of the CyberKnife treatment. Also, one’s response to treatment will vary from patient-to-patient. Nevertheless, clinical experience has shown that most patients – including those diagnosed with kidney cancer – respond quite positively to CyberKnife treatments.
Offering New Hope to Kidney Cancer Patients
If you have been diagnosed with kidney cancer and are looking for an alternative course of treatment that is more effective than traditional radiation therapy, but without the discomfort and potential complications, you and your doctor should learn more about the benefits of the CyberKnife system.
To find out if you are a suitable candidate for this revolutionary technology that has helped hundreds of thousands of cancer patients over more than 30 years, contact the CyberKnife Center of Miami today and arrange a private consultation. You can reach us at (800) 204-0455 or (305) 279-2900, or simply fill out our online form to make your appointment. We’re here to help you beat your kidney cancer quickly and effectively.
You can also learn more on our website right now www.cyberknifemiami.com