Patients with cancerous and non-cancerous tumors anywhere in the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas and kidney, have a non-invasive treatment option that offers submillimeter accuracy. Called Precision CyberKnife of New York, the new program is a joint effort of Mather Hospital and North Shore Hematology Oncology Associates (NSHOA).

"It is not unusual during a Precision CyberKnife procedure to have more than 100 beams of high dose radiation converging on a tumor from multiple directions," said Martin Silverstein, MD, radiation oncologist.

Precision CyberKnife focuses those beams with extreme accuracy to the tumor, while avoiding healthy organs and tissue that is close by. It adjusts for even the most subtle motion made by the patient during the treatment.

"As the tumor moves with a patient’s respiration, Precision CyberKnife actually follows the movement of that tumor during the respiratory cycle," Dr. Silverstein said. "No other radiation system can do this during the course of the radiation therapy treatment."

"I’ve been a practicing radiation oncologist for more than 25 years. I’ve seen great advances in radiation technology. Precision CyberKnife is one of the most amazing breakthroughs in radiation delivery that I’ve seen in my career," said Dr. Silverstein.

Radiation oncologist Joseph Cirrone, MD, said, "With Precision CyberKnife patients typically have one to five treatments over the course of a week as compared to conventional radiation treatments that can take 5-9 weeks. During treatment, the patient experiences no discomfort or pain."

The partnership between NSHOA and Mather combines the expertise of the radiation oncologists at NSHOA with that of interventional radiologists, pulmonologists, neurologists and other medical experts at Mather Hospital. The Precision CyberKnife team keeps the patient’s referring doctor informed during treatment.

"We’re ecstatic to bring this new modality of treatment to patients and offer them the latest and best care possible," Cirrone said.

Precision CyberKnife of New York is located at 181 N. Belle Mead Road, Ste. 1B, East Setauket. More information at precisioncyberknifeofny.org.