New Treatment Option at The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center Provides Hope for Inopera...(argeting confidence allows for safer yet...),Health

Therapy can be directed at any part of the body, from any direction, with the help of a robotic arm. Treatment is pain-free and, unlike other forms of radiation therapy, can be completed within one to five days. Treatments are performed on an outpatient basis with no recovery time, allowing patients to return to normal activities immediately.

The total investment for the robotic radiosurgery system and construction of a dedicated CyberKnife(R) suite in The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center was approximately $5.7 million. Last year, Centennial Medical Center announced a $143 million campus expansion project that includes a dedicated cancer center. The cancer center will integrate inpatient nursing units, radiation oncology, operating rooms, a new comprehensive cancer imaging center, outpatient services and laboratory services.

According to Ed Hunt, M.D., who is also trained on the robotic radiosurgery technology, CyberKnife(R) - unlike other radiosurgery options such as Gamma Knife - does not require invasive head or body frames. He also said the newer treatment is ideal for treating both cancerous and benign tumors that are medically inoperable or surgically complex.

According to a recent report published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, by 2030, Americans age 65 and older will account for 70% of all cancer diagnoses -- up from about 61% of current cases. The cancer sites with the highest percentage of increase between 2010 and 2030 are expected to be those that are often more complex to treat: stomach (67%), liver (59%), myeloma (57%), prostate (55%), pancreas (55%), bladder (54%), lung (52%), and colorectum (52%).

The Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville is one of 10 HCA hospitals to offer the new CyberKnife(R) technology and one of only 107 facilities nationwide.

The Sarah Ca
'/>"/>