St. Louis CyberKnife opens today on the campus of SSM St. Clare Health Center in Fenton, Mo. 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.
CyberKnife® is a robotic technology used by radiation oncologists and surgeons to treat cancerous and noncancerous tumors and other medical conditions noninvasively using high-dose radiation delivered in five or fewer outpatient procedures.
During treatment, patients lie on a table while the CyberKnife’s robotic arm moves around them, delivering targeted radiation directly to their tumor and minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The CyberKnife is capable of treating tumors from virtually unlimited directions, making it possible to treat difficult-to-reach tumors that may have been considered inoperable in the past. Patients usually return to normal activities immediately following treatment.
CyberKnife treats tumors throughout the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas, kidney, bone and eye. It can also treat trigeminal neuralgia, a neuropathic disorder that causes intense facial pain, and blood vessel abnormalities.
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.