We wrote recently about the CyberKnife and its ability to provide pinpoint treatment of tumors and lesions. Now, there's a new appliciation for the CyberKnife radiosurgery system. A small-but-promising study shows the system can also treat facial nerve pain successfully.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is described as one of the most painful conditions known. Also called tic douloureux,  TN causes extreme, sporadic, sudden burning or shock-like face pain, often along one side of the jaw or cheek, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The intensity of pain can be physically and mentally incapacitating. TN affects one in 15,000 people, and it seems to predominantly plague women over 50 years of age.

Using superimposed CT cisternogram and MR images, doctors were able to direct the CyberKnife to deliver a doze of radiation to a tiny (6mm) section of the trigeminal nerve.

The results, published by the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, showed that 14 of 16 patients (88 percent) treated with the CyberKnife responded favorably with either partial or complete relief of symptoms. Eleven were free of all pain at some point in their post-treatment period, and seven patients were still pain free by the time the study was published five months later.

The study's conclusion: "Cyberknife radiosurgery is a viable treatment alternative in patients with TN with competitive efficacy demonstrated in our group of patients while minimizing adverse effects."

The Novalis TX is the latest and most sophisticated tool available to deliver Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Located at Baptist Cancer Institute, it provides precise focus and delivery without damage. It's one of the most advanced cancer treatment options available and has helped thousands of people keep a normal life while fighting cancer.

Not only is it precise, but i'ts fast too. Treatment is delivered in as little as 15 to 20 minutes, making treatment much more comfortable then ever before.

Novalis TX is one of the 3 latest radiosurgery treatments offered by FROG network. To find out more about this groundbreaking tool, visit novalis-radiosurgery.com. To contact FROG networks about Novalis TX or any of the other radiosurgery treatments offered visit frogdocs.com/radiosurgery.

A new breath test that detects lung cancer at an early, treatable stage, has us excited at FROG. We will be the lead U.S. participant in a new multinational trial evaluating this "artificial nose."

Preliminary data show that this new test -- called the artificial olfactory system -- is a promising, non-invasive tool that can discriminate between benign and malignant nodules with 80 to 90 percent accuracy.

A big part of the potential value for this test could be its ability to weed out false-positive results from CT scans. CT scanning is a proven way to reduce the mortality from lung cancer, but the process can also produce a significant number of false positives.

This artificial olfactory system, which detects cancer-associated volatile organic compounds exhaled from the lungs, could reduce the need for invasive follow-up procedures such as biopsies.  Here's the whole story, published in MedPage Today:

By Charles Bankhead, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Published: January 10, 2012

Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and

Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner

SAN DIEGO -- Assessment of chemicals in exhaled breath distinguished between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules with 80 to 90% accuracy, results of a small clinical study showed. The breath test also demonstrated 90% accuracy for distinguishing between small-cell and non-small cell lung cancer and early cancer from more advanced disease.

The test might help reduce the high false-positive rate associated with screening CT and possibly has a role as the initial screening test in high-risk patients, Nir Peled, MD, PhD, reported here at the Joint Conference on the Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer.

"The test works like an artificial nose that can distinguish signatures of exhaled volatile organic compounds [VOCs] associated with cancer from those that are not associated with cancer," Peled, of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel, told MedPage Today.  "Use of the test for patients who have positive CT scans might help reduce the unnecessary biopsies and costs associated with false-positive scans."

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

The American Cancer Society released good news this week in its report, "Cancer Statistics, 2012."  Each year, the organization  predicts the number of new cancer cases and deaths due to cancer expected in the United States. For 2012,  new cases and death rates will continue to decline, according to the report. Read the full article by Stacy Simon of the American Cancer Society.

--

Newly published statistics from the American Cancer Society show that cancer death rates in the U.S. continue to decrease. Death rates continue to decline for lung, colon, breast and prostate cancers, which are responsible for the most cancer deaths. However, there has been an increase in the past decade of people developing some less common cancers, including pancreas, liver, thyroid, and kidney cancer.

The annual report, “Cancer Statistics, 2012,” published in the American Cancer Society’s journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and its companion piece “Cancer Facts & Figures 2012,” estimates the numbers of new cancer cases and deaths expected in the U.S. this year. The estimates are some of the most widely quoted cancer statistics in the world.

A total of 1,638,910 new cancer cases and 577,190 deaths from cancer are projected to occur in the U.S. in 2012. Between 1990/1991 and 2008, the most recent year for which data is available, overall death rates decreased by about 23% in men and 15% in women. This translates to more than 1 million deaths from cancer that were avoided.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

Over the past 20 years, medicine trends have been pushing toward less invasive surgeries to remove tumors and other problem areas from the body. Gamma Knife technology has brought great advances to this trend by providing virtually noninvasive treatment to lesions once considered inoperable as well as serving as a supplement to other methods of treatment all without an incision. The Gamma Knife device precisely delivers high dose of radiation to tumors and lesions deep within the brain with such accuracy it could treat an area with pinpoint accuracy.

The precision and safety of the Gamma Knife make it an excellent alternative to traditional brain surgery for a wide range of patients. It also offers new options for may people who have otherwise been considered inoperable because of the location of a tumor, their age or their medical condition. Click Here to find out more about the Gamma Knife and other radiosurgery treatments available in Northern and Central Florida.

Treatment can be one of the scariest parts of dealing with carcer. With so many new and innovative treatments avaliable, it's hard had to know what to expect. We have created some vitual tours that will alow you and your loved ones see right into the rooms where all the work is done. From the PET/CT Scan equipment to the waiting room, you can get an up-close, 360-degree view of our facilities. Click here to check it out!