Tampa Bay, Fla. (PRWEB) February 04, 2014
February is National Cancer Prevention Month and CyberKnife Centers of Tampa Bay offers patients the latest, more convenient, and highly effective radiation therapy option for tumors that are detected early. Although cancer remains a huge problem, cancer death rates have steadily declined since 1991 that translates to more than 1 million cancer deaths avoided. The number of cancer survivors continues to increase too: the latest data show 13.7 million U.S. survivors.
National Cancer Prevention Month focuses on ways to stay well and the advances in care technology being made to bring awareness to prevention and early detection. Many patients used to consider cancer to be a death sentence. But with updates in care modalities, many cancers can now be alleviated and for many more people, their cancer can be treated effectively. Screening won't actively prevent cancer, but early detection plays huge a role in prognosis. Regular screening can detect cancer before any symptoms show. Most especially, breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screening may find these diseases when treatment is likely to work best.
“Cancer research and technological developments like the CyberKnife have stimulated the translation of scientific discoveries into new and better ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat cancer. Incredible advances like stereotactic radiosurgery are contributing to the rise in the number of people who are surviving longer and living fuller lives after their cancer diagnoses,” explains Debra Freeman, M.D., board certified Radiation Oncologist from CyberKnife Centers of Tampa Bay.
Radiosurgery treats tumors in just one to five sessions, instead of over six to nine weeks. CyberKnife Radiosurgery is a type of radiation therapy that offers extremely accurate, image-guided tumor targeting. The outpatient sessions are pain-free, have fewer side effects, and require no surgery or sedation, so patients can return to their normal activities right away. This technology is now possible because of advanced real-time imaging, where the machine monitors and reacts to the movement of the patient by following markers implanted at the tumor site or placed outside of the body.
Hoping to encourage other Bay Area residents to get regular checkups and screenings, the physicians of CyberKnife share cancer prevention tips that can also go a long way to avoid other illnesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases. CyberKnife Centers of Tampa Bay supports the universal theme that early detection and proper cancer treatment are key to helping those diagnosed with cancer.
Among the most important modifiable risk factors for cancer are:
- Tobacco use
- Alcohol use
- Dietary factors including low fruit and vegetable intake
- Physical inactivity
- Overweight and obesity
- Physical carcinogens, such as ultraviolet (UV) and ionizing radiation
- Chemical carcinogens, such as formaldehyde and asbestos
- Biological carcinogens, from infections by viruses such as human papilloma virus (HPV), bacteria and parasites
“A diagnosis of cancer means something different for a patient in 2014. The effectiveness of today’s available therapies has seen significant improvements. Our team is on the forefront of treating cancer, offering the most advanced and up-to-date care,” says Dr. Debra Freeman.
“Cancer touches just about everyone’s life at some point. It is important to recognize that we are all in this together,” says Dr. Freeman. “Cancer prevention observances act as a great reminder of the simple changes we can all make for a healthier future.”
About CyberKnife Centers of Tampa Bay:
CyberKnife Centers of Tampa Bay was founded in 2008 when a group of radiation oncologists with extensive backgrounds and a combined 45 years of radiosurgical experience opened the first CyberKnife Center in Tampa Bay, located on the campus of Town and Country Hospital. Drawing on their experience with CyberKnife centers in Miami, Palm Beach and Naples, and their expertise with other forms of radiosurgery, the group introduced this exciting new technology to Central Florida. CyberKnife Centers of Tampa Bay is owned and operated by Tampa Bay Radiosurgery Associates, LLC. With two freestanding facilities located in Tampa and Brandon, the staff at the outpatient centers is dedicated to providing image-guided radiosurgical treatments while understanding and upholding a high standard of comfort for patients undergoing treatment. For more information, visit http://www.CyberKnifeTampaBay.org.