SSM Cancer Care announced today the opening of St. Louis CyberKnife, a new cancer treatment center that will begin treating patients Oct. 1 on the campus of SSM St. Clare Health Center in Fenton. A $6 million investment, St. Louis CyberKnife was developed as a joint venture between SSM Cancer Care, a group of local physicians and US Radiosurgery.
St. Louis CyberKnife will offer the only CyberKnife technology in St. Louis County and will use a multi-disciplinary team approach to treating patients. Team members will include radiation oncologists, surgeons, medical physics and dosimetry, radiation therapists and nursing.
“While the name may invoke images of knives or scalpels, CyberKnife is actually a nonsurgical treatment option that does not require incisions or sedation,” said Dr. John Bedwinek, SSM Cancer Care and St. Louis CyberKnife radiation oncologist. “CyberKnife can give hope to patients with inoperable or surgically complex tumors, as well as those seeking an alternative to surgery or traditional radiation therapy.”
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CyberKnife is a robotic technology used by radiation oncologists and surgeons to treat patients with stereotactic radiosurgery, a noninvasive method of treating tumors and other medical conditions with surgical accuracy using high-dose radiation delivered in five or fewer outpatient procedures.
St. Louis CyberKnife has installed the CyberKnife 9.0 system, which features a device that controls the width of the machine’s radiation beam, allowing physicians to vary the beam size to treat a larger variety of tumors throughout the body. The capabilities of the advanced technology allow for greater accuracy, quicker treatment times for patients and better avoidance of healthy tissue during treatment.
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“This partnership further illustrates our mission to provide patients throughout the St. Louis region with the highest quality care,” said Gaspare Calvaruso, service line executive of SSM Cancer Care. “Our investment in the new CyberKnife program demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing our communities with the most advanced technology and the best cancer treatment options.”
St. Louis CyberKnife at SSM Cancer Care is the latest joint venture for national stereotactic radiosurgery services provider, US Radiosurgery. A division of Alliance Oncology, US Radiosurgery’s network encompasses facilities throughout the United States that collectively have treated thousands of patients with stereotactic radiosurgery technology.
St. Louis CyberKnife is a service of SSM Cancer Care and is located at 1011 Bowles Ave. Fenton, Mo. 63026. For more information, call 636-496-4660 or visit www.stlouiscyberknife.com.