At the CyberKnife Center of Miami – a state-of-the-art radiation cancer treatment center in South Florida – we know our current patients find inspiration from other patients and survivors.
And we want to share those CyberKnife stories of hope with you.
If you are facing a cancer diagnosis or know someone who is and if radiation could be a treatment option – let our patients’ stories help you navigate through this difficult time.
Jose’s Battle: Beating Bone Cancer that Spread to the Lungs
“It is a very fast treatment. It is only five days. You have no side effects, and it can basically save your life,” Jose says of his experience with CyberKnife treatments.
CyberKnife uses image guided radiotherapy called stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT to treat cancer and other medical issues requiring radiation.
At CyberKnife Miami we treat spine, brain, breast, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver, prostate and head and neck tumors. We also treat lymphoma and other conditions in the body where radiation treatment is necessary.
CyberKnife’s missile guidance technology enables the SBRT to track a tumor’s movement in real time. The technology delivers radiation directly to the tumor, while leaving healthy surrounding tissue virtually unharmed.
With CyberKnife, patients need a shorter course of treatment than with traditional radiation because SBRT is targeted radiation.
“Because we are so precise in our treatment and we can minimize the dose to surrounding tissue, our side effects are minimal,” says Dr. Mark Pomper, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of CyberKnife Miami.
Jose’s advice: “Stay positive and keep thinking about your future. Even though it may be tough today, it will get better. And you should definitely try this treatment.”
Ricardo’s Story: Battling Colon Cancer that Spread to the Liver
“Once you’ve been diagnosed with cancer there’s a certain feeling of doom and gloom because it’s shocking,” says Ricardo.
He turned to CyberKnife Miami for his treatments.
According to University of North Carolina School of Medicine, CyberKnife radiation has been proven effective for more than 30 years. Thousands of patients across the globe have been treated with CyberKnife, including Ricardo, and there are many clinical studies and peer-reviewed journals documenting its efficacy.
If your doctor recommends surgery, chemotherapy, or another form of radiation – know you have options. Call CyberKnife Miami for a second opinion.
“There are alternatives,” says Ricardo. “CyberKnife is an intelligent and logical choice. People need to look at it, and we need to get the word out there.”
CyberKnife Miami Siblings Success Story: Brother Beats Prostate Cancer and Sister Beats Metastatic Colon Cancer
Siblings Mike and Liz believe they are both alive today thanks to CyberKnife Miami.
Mike was diagnosed with prostate cancer 10 years ago and opted for CyberKnife treatments.
“If you get cancer go to CyberKnife Miami to see if you’re a candidate for CyberKnife radiation therapy,” Mike says.
His success story likely saved his sister, Liz, as well.
She was originally diagnosed with colon cancer and opted for surgery and chemotherapy. Three years later it had returned and this time, she listened to her brother Mike and had her tumor treated with CyberKnife at CyberKnife Miami.
“There was no way I was going to do six months of chemo again, it was hell. CyberKnife was so successful for Mike that I decided to try it too,” Liz says.
Mike made the call to CyberKnife Miami for Liz.
“I drove Liz there for her evaluation, and everyone welcomed her and me again with open arms. I told Liz, you are in good hands. I would go to the end of the earth to get her to CyberKnife Miami,” Mike says “And she could not have gotten a better result. I told Liz, CyberKnife was a lifesaver for me, and it will be for you too.”
For Liz, and other cancer patients, CyberKnife is being used with great success, including for metastatic liver cancer says Dr. Pomper, “Treating liver cancer with traditional radiation therapy is not an option due to the sensitivity of liver tissue to radiation. The CyberKnife tracking technology eliminates that risk. The system can continuously pinpoint and track the tumor’s exact location as the patient breathes normally while on the treatment table, enabling hundreds of radiation beams to attack the tumor from all angles, leaving healthy tissue virtually unharmed. It kills the tumor cells and over time the tumor disappears. If a tumor comes back or another one develops, we can often treat it again, even if it is close to the previously treated area.”
Liz says, “CyberKnife saved me. If the cancer comes back and I cannot be treated with CyberKnife, I will live with it until God calls me home. I have a lot to live for. I have three children and six grandchildren. I look forward to everyday and being alive.”
CyberKnife Advantage: Miami, FL
CyberKnife is non-invasive and most patients say it is painless. There are few – if any – complications with treatments.
Every day the experts at CyberKnife Miami see additional advantages with our treatment including:
- Excellent control of tumors
- Lower risk of damage to healthy tissue
- Better quality of life while undergoing treatment
“CyberKnife is the most refined way to target a tumor and minimize the dose to normal tissue,” says Dr. Mark Pomper, “It is often a very good alternative to surgery and our results can be at least as good.”
We opened our doors 20 years ago, and we were the first CyberKnife center to open in the Southeast United States.
Since that time, we have successfully treated thousands of patients from South Florida and around the world, and we are here to help you too. We put patients first.
Our patients are not statistics. We treat every patient with the utmost respect, care, and compassion. Cancer is scary and we are here to ease your fears. We hold your hand from start to finish and help guide you through this confusing and difficult process, even with your insurance.
We are going to make it as easy for you as possible and get you treated as quickly as possible without hassles or going through a medical maze. We are a free-standing cancer center. You pull into our parking lot and go into our center without having to walk a mile to get to us or trying to find us on a sprawling medical campus.
Our staff knows that treating patients with compassion and scientifically proven, state-of-the-art technology goes hand in hand. That is what sets us apart from other cancer treatment centers. We answer the phone, return phone calls, help with medical scans, whatever you need. We are here for you and your entire family.
Our goal is to get you treated effectively, safely, and fast so you can get on with your life. We are here for you.
If you are interested in learning more about CyberKnife Miami call us at 305-279-2900 or go to our website now www.cyberknifemiami.com.