Keith’s Story: As An Asthma Patient Diagnosed With Lung Cancer, CyberKnife Was His Best Treatment Option to Minimize More Breathing Problems

by | Sep 10, 2023 | Lung Cancer, Lung Cancer and Asthma Patients

As an asthmatic, Keith Killeen routinely visits a respiratory consultant to manage his disease, which has been getting a bit worse with age.
During one of his appointments in 2018, a very, very small tumor was detected in one of his lungs and it turned out to be cancer.
Because of his asthma Keith’s doctor felt that surgery wasn’t a good option for him, which would have compromised his breathing even more than it already was, and instead recommended a noninvasive treatment with the CyberKnife® System.
In 2023 when Keith was diagnosed with a second tumor in his other lung, CyberKnife again was used to treat it. Surgery would have severely affected his breathing, making even much more difficult.
Keith had absolutely no side effects and even drove himself home after his CyberKnife treatments.
At nearly 77 years young, today Keith continues to do very well and enjoys taking hour long walks with his Weimaraner dog every day on a local beach in Ireland.
He is sharing his story to encourage people to explore all their treatment options to manage their health.

Lung Cancer Treatment in Miami, FL:
Being diagnosed with lung cancer is terrifying, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence any more.
Lung cancer is one of the most frequently treated diseases at the CyberKnife Center of Miami.
That’s because CyberKnife radiation therapy is becoming the number one treatment of choice by lung cancer patients.
Benefits of Non-Invasive Lung Cancer Treatment With CyberKnife:
Excellent control of lung tumors due to precise radiation targeting
Lower risk of damage to healthy tissue surrounding tumors
Better quality of life for patients while undergoing treatment
With this cutting-edge technology, we can deliver very high doses of radiation to the tumor without damaging healthy or already compromised lung tissue.
It’s also the only technology that can continually track respiratory movement during treatment as the patient breathes, so radiation targets only the tumor, sparing normal lung tissue from being damaged.
Treatments usually take 30 to 60 minutes and are done on an outpatient basis in three to five treatments. If the tumors come back, we can often ablate them again.
When treating lung cancer with traditional radiation, it’s difficult to deliver an effective dose without risking damage to healthy surrounding tissue, because the technology cannot track the tumor as the patient breathes naturally.
The CyberKnife also delivers much stronger, precise doses of radiation, leading to tumor destruction and little chance of it coming back.
CyberKnife is usually done on patients who are unwilling or unable to undergo open surgery.
CyberKnife may be used instead of, or along with, surgery and chemotherapy.
With the CyberKnife, we are able to treat most primary non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC) such as squamous cell, large cell, and adenocarcinoma, as well as metastatic lung cancers resulting from renal cell, melanoma, colon cancer, and breast cancer.
Because of CyberKnife’s sophisticated technology, we can control the radiation beams to match the exact shape of a tumor or lesion. The beams are directed at the cancer from many different angles.
The medical team will determine the size of the area being targeted by radiation and the dosage. The doctors may choose to deliver the treatment in three to five treatments.
The CyberKnife treatment is completely pain free. Patients dress comfortably in their own clothes and can bring music to listen to during the treatment.
Nothing will be required of the patient during the treatment, except to relax. In fact, patients often sleep through the treatment.
There are generally only minimal side effects from CyberKnife treatments, which may include mild fatigue.
After completing the CyberKnife treatment, patients will schedule follow-up appointments.
Keep in mind that the tumor will not suddenly disappear. In fact, it could take several weeks or longer to determine the effectiveness of the CyberKnife treatment.
Response to treatment varies from patient to patient. Clinical experience has shown us that most patients respond very well to CyberKnife treatments.
To find out if you’re a candidate for life-saving CyberKnife radiosurgery, call the CyberKnife Center of Miami at (800) 204-0455.
Cyberknife Center of Miami – The Beam Of Life