Pasadena CyberKnife Blog

We encourage our patients to tell their story!

Happy Friday! Another Happy Case!

Happy Friday!  What better way to start the weekend than sharing with you a recent case we successfully treated at our center?

J.S.,a 61-year-old lady, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and received palliative external radiation treatment in November 2009.  A few weeks ago, she started having a sudden onset of double vision and was referred to our center for evaluation.  We ordered a set of MRI and CT scans for her to find out what was causing the problem.  MRI of the brain revealed a 2.5cm tumor in the skull base (the central portion of her brain) and the CT scan showed bony destruction.  The result of the scans was consistent with a solitary brain metastasis.

After examination by our neurosurgeon Dr. Fineman, he confirmed that her double vision problem was due to a paralysis of the muscles that move the right eye.  J.S. decided to wear an eye patch to help relieve her double vision.  To lighten up her unfortunate situation, she called herself a “pirate” and even carried a fake parrot on her shoulder.

Fortunately, J.S. was determined to be a perfect candidate for the CyberKnife radiosurgery treatment and she agreed to undergo the treatment.  She received 3 fractions of treatment (3 days of treatment) and each treatment took about 30 minutes.  The CyberKnife treatment is painless and is done in an outpatient setting.  J.S. tolerated the short course of treatment very well without any side effect.

One week after the treatment, her eye muscles have been restored.  She can now control and move her right eye.  What about her double vision?  It is GONE, and so is the eye patch!  She is so happy that she can drive again.  What about her parrot?  J.S. is so grateful for what we at Pasadena Cyberknife Center have done for her and since she is no longer a “pirate”, she decided to give her parrot to Dr. Mak as a gift =).  By the way, we have yet given the parrot a name, do you have any suggestion?

The CyberKnife radiosurgery is an excellent treatment for brain metastases.  It delivers high dose of radiation targeted to the metastatic lesions in one to five fractions.  The tumor control is around 80-85%, which is much higher than conventional radiation or IMRT (Intensity modulated radiation therapy).  Because of that, patients live longer and do not suffer from treatment related complications.

There is no better feeling than knowing you have made a positive impact on another person’s life.  We are so happy to be able to treat J.S. and to be a part of her healthcare team.

Dear J.S.:  We wish you the very best in every aspect of your recovery and don’t worry, we will take good care of your parrot =)