JACKSON, Miss., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Baptist Cancer Services, a division of Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., has acquired the CyberKnife(R) Stereotactic Radiosurgery System, the only such system approved by the FDA for tumor treatment anywhere in the body. Treatments will begin the week of January 24, 2005. Baptist Cancer Services will have the only system of this kind in the four-state area of Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The CyberKnife will allow physicians to treat tumors using stereotactic technology anywhere radiation therapy is needed, including the brain, spine, lung, pancreas and other areas -- even some that have been deemed inoperable. In addition, this technology can be used to treat other disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformation.
Baptist Radiation Oncologist Richard Friedman, M.D. said, "This 21st century technology gives physicians one more tool to fight cancer and other diseases in an effective, safe, and painless manner. There is no other system that can do what the CyberKnife can do, making Baptist one of a handful of sites in The United States where this exciting advance in medicine can be offered to our patients."
The CyberKnife delivers radiation with precision so great it could split the point of a pin and treats tumors anywhere in the body without damaging surrounding tissue. It combines a compact, lightweight linear accelerator mounted on a robotic arm, with image guided technology that tracks tumor location -- in real time -- without requiring the patient to wear a head frame. The system acquires new images and transmits any position corrections to the robotic arm before delivering each new dose. It is the only system that monitors and tracks patient position continually during treatment. No major surgery is required. Following treatment, the patient goes home, with no need for recovery time.
"Having the CyberKnife at Baptist gives us the most advanced treatment system for radiosurgically treatable conditions of the entire nervous system and spine," said Baptist Neurosurgeon Moses Jones, M.D.
For more information visit http://www.mbhs.org/ or call the Baptist Health Line at 1-800-948-6262 or 601-948-6262.
Baptist Cancer Services is the first and only organization in the United States to achieved Disease-Specific Care Certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for an entire cancer program.
Contact: Robby Channell 601-974-6289 rchannell@mbmc.org
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Mississippi Baptist Medical CenterCONTACT: Robby Channell of Mississippi Baptist Medical Center,+1-601-974-6289, or rchannell@mbmc.org
Web site: http://www.mbhs.org/