Is Non-Invasive Cancer Treatment For Me?
One of the first questions patients diagnosed with cancer ask is, “What are my options?”
While there’s seldom a one-fits-all solution, the Radiation Oncologists at the CyberKnife Center of Miami and many top medical and cancer experts believe if at all possible choose a non-invasive treatment instead of surgery.
Why Should I Opt for a Non-Invasive Treatment Over Surgery?
Sometimes surgery is the only and best option for certain cancer patients, however, if you can at all avoid surgery do so. Research all your non-invasive options too.
Reduced Risk of Infection
The #1 reason for avoiding surgery is to steer clear of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI’s). One out of 25 patients develops hospital-acquired infections each year for a total of 1.7 million Americans. Of those 99,000 die annually.
Infection can be caused by improperly or unsterilized operating and hospital rooms, surgery tools, bedding and even the staff not following proper handwashing routines. Once you leave the hospital you’re still at risk of the surgical wound getting infected. Plus the healing process from surgery is always longer and harder and infections only add to that difficulty.
Another important thing to keep in mind, if you begin to get sick from an infection while in the hospital and require a longer stay, insurance may not pay and you might have to cover the cost of additional care until you feel better and can return home.
Less Risk of Human Error
Other concerns involve the doctors themselves. Doctors are human and while we all hope it never happens, mistakes during surgery occur and could have life-long-lasting effects.
Also, keep in mind, surgeons like to operate so often times that is what they recommend even if there is a better non-invasive option for you. Plus the doctor and the hospitals make much more money from insurance companies for surgery than non-invasive procedures.
They get paid for the surgeon, the operating room, the operating staff, the anesthesiologist, the hospital stay and much much more. Although we don’t want to believe that and hope it’s not the case for most doctors, patients need to educate themselves and do their own research into all options for their particular case.
Virtually No Side Effects
When you skip surgery, you also skip potential side effects that come with going under anesthesia. Some of the most common include nausea, vomiting, sore throat, postoperative delirium, itching, chills, muscle aches and memory loss. These side effects can be so serious that older patients may not qualify for surgery because anesthesia is too much of a risk factor.
Non-invasive treatments, such as CyberKnife Radiation Therapy have become the #1 treatment choice by many cancer patients because it’s safer, highly effective and can be done in many fewer treatments than other types of radiation.
There is no cutting, requires no anesthesia, no risk of infection with little or no downtime. You lay down on the CyberKnife table, get treated, get up and get on with your daily life.
Is CyberKnife An Effective Non-Invasive Treatment?
The CyberKnife system is a form of radiation therapy. It delivers high doses of radiation to tumors with pinpoint accuracy. It also has missile guided technology so it follows the tumor as the patient breathes normally, destroying only the tumor, leaving surrounding healthy tissue unharmed, resulting in few if any side effects.
CyberKnife can kill tumors almost anywhere in the body and most cancer patients are good candidates for this precise non-invasive treatment. To learn more about CyberKnife Radio Surgery call the CyberKnife Center of Miami at 305-279-2900 and go to our website now at www.cyberknifemiami.com.