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Breakthroughs in Cancer Care
CyberKnife gives patients a noninvasive, pain-free alternative to traditional cancer treatments.
More than 100 patients with
cancer have found new hope
at the Booker Cancer Center
at Riverview Medical Center because of
CyberKnife. The CyberKnife treatment
involves using advanced imaging to deliver
precise doses of radiation to a tumor without
affecting surrounding healthy tissue
and organs. It transforms the way patients
can be treated for cancer and other conditions.
There are no incisions, no screws
in the skull, no blood, no pain, and no
anesthesia with this state-of-the-art technology.
In fact, patients usually resume
daily activities immediately following their
outpatient treatment.
Initial treatments at Riverview had
focused on patients with conditions of the
brain and spine, but now the CyberKnife
is treating more and more patients with
prostate cancer. Fred Gill from Red Bank
was one of these patients — at a checkup with urologist Arthur Christiano, M.D., the
physician felt a lump in his prostate. Dr.
Christiano sent Fred for a PSA (prostatespecific
antigen) test, because elevated
PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer.
Although the test revealed his level was
low, Dr. Christiano still wanted to do a
biopsy due to an abnormality. The biopsy
showed that Fred had prostate cancer.
"It is terrible to hear the word 'cancer'
in any context," says Fred, whose wife
passed away from breast cancer in 2003.
"I was scared and nervous, and I wanted
to take care of this quickly."
Fred and his doctors weighed Fred's
many options, including radioactive seed
implants, chemotherapy, a robotic arm
treatment, and CyberKnife. Many treatments
for prostate cancer are invasive,
require hospital stays, and have undesirable
side effects such as urinary toxicity
and erectile dysfunction. But Fred learned
that CyberKnife had little or no side
effects, was the most comfortable, and
would be over in five sessions.
"Fred elected to proceed with CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery
because this treatment is noninvasive
and completed within a week," explains
Hasmik Diratzouian, M.D., the radiation
oncologist who administered his treatment.
"CyberKnife treats tumors with submillimeter
accuracy, which keeps adjacent critical
structures such as the bladder and rectum
from being affected by the radiation,"
continues Dr. Diratzouian. "It uses a combination
of image guidance and computercontrolled
robotics to continuously track,
detect, and correct for tumor and patient
movement throughout the treatment.
This means that no head or body frame is
required to immobilize the patient."
When Fred had completed his therapy,
he was impressed by the treatment's promised
benefits. "I couldn't believe it: After
just five sessions, I was done," he says.
"The sessions were so relaxing that I actually
would fall asleep. There was no pain
— it was just like lying down and listening
to music.
"Dr. Diratzouian, the nurses, and
technicians were great," adds Fred. "It is
a shame I had to have cancer to meet
them. They were courteous, knowledgeable,
and professional."
Now Fred is cancer-free and can
enjoy spending time with his daughter
and grandchildren in Elberon, visiting his
daughter in Alaska, and reading and listening
to music.
 – Laura Pollio
These lifestyle choices may help lower a
man's chance of developing prostate cancer:
Go lean. Animal fat, such as in red meat,
has been linked to prostate cancer. Choose
lean meats or vegetable dishes instead.
- Select high-nutrient foods. Foods such
as rice, wheat, and seafood contain
selenium. This antioxidant may help
prevent prostate cancer or slow the
growth of prostate tumors. Vitamin E
also may be beneficial. It's found in
vegetables, nuts, and egg yolks.
- Lose those extra pounds. In a recent
study, men who had lost at least 11
pounds in the past 10 years enjoyed a
lower risk for prostate cancer.
- Exercise regularly. One study found that,
compared to couch potatoes, men age
65 and older who exercised vigorously at
least three hours a week had about a 70
percent lower chance of being diagnosed
with advanced prostate cancer. Jogging
and basketball are two examples of
vigorous exercise.
- Ask your doctor about aspirin. Older
men who regularly took aspirin had
fewer cases of prostate cancer,
researchers found. Aspirin may increase
your risk for internal bleeding, so it's
important to talk with your doctor first.
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