A Patient's Guide to Spine Cancer and Its Treatment
Every year, approximately one million new cases of cancer are diagnosed. Unfortunately, many of these cancers become metastatic and spread to other healthy tissues within the body, including the skeletal system. When invaded by cancerous cells, the spine and other bones of the body can develop painful cancerous tumors that can threaten mobility, health, and quality of life. Fortunately, new advanced radiation treatments, such as those offered at South Florida Radiation Oncology’s Spine Center, have been developed to safely reduce the size of these tumors without the need for invasive surgery. At our spine center, we offer two approaches to removing cancerous tumors in the spine: The CyberKnife System and the TrueBeam. See “Our Technologies” tab on our website for details about those treatment systems.
In addition to the spread of disease from other areas of the body, spine cancer can also be caused by a variety of bone cancers. Below are the most common diseases responsible for primary spine cancer.
- Multiple myeloma: This cancer typically affects older adults between the ages of 50 to 80 and results in the development of many round cell tumors.
- Lymphoma: When affecting the bones, these round tumors are more likely to be of the non-Hodgkin’s type and are typically found in multiple areas of the body.
- Ewing’s sarcoma: Most commonly found in the sacrum area of the spine, Ewing’s sarcomas are large, aggressive round cell tumors that are most commonly seen in children.
State-of-the-art treatments are now available to provide patients with a safe, effective way to treat hard-to-reach tumors of the spine or other areas of the musculoskeletal system. These technologies include:
- The Cyberknife System: This cutting-edge technology has the ability to treat spinal tumors with sub-millimeter precision, killing cancer cells while sparing the healthy cells at the perimeter of the tumor. This radiosurgery system provides patients with a painless, easy treatment with no incisions or side effects.
• The TrueBeam: TrueBeam technology combines advanced imaging, powerful beam delivery, and sophisticated motion detection to deliver a prescribed radiation dose to a spinal tumor from every angle.
South Florida Radiation Oncology offers both the TrueBeam and CyberKnife technologies to help patients suffering from spine cancer get back to living their lives. With the help of our team of board-certified radiation oncologists, you can be sure that you will find the best possible course of treatment to fit your needs. You can learn more about our cutting-edge treatments and variety of support services by calling SFRO today at (888) 823-9162.
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