Cancer treatment facility opens in Park Ridge

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge have opened Illinois CyberKnife, a new cancer treatment facility that began treating patients Nov. 7.

A $6 million investment, the CyberKnife center was developed through a partnership between Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital, Radiation Oncology Consultants and US Radiosurgery.

CyberKnife treats patients through a procedure called stereotactic radio surgery, a noninvasive method of treating tumors and other medical conditions with very precise, high-dose radiation.

During treatment, patients lie on a table while the CyberKnife’s robotic arm moves around them, aiming radiation beams directly at a tumor site and minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. CyberKnife involves no cutting and no anesthesia, and it requires no recovery time or overnight hospital stay.

“While the name may invoke images of knives and scalpels, CyberKnife is actually a nonsurgical treatment option that does not require incisions,” said Dr. Arica Hirsch, medical director of Illinois CyberKnife. “With CyberKnife, we’re able to reduce the duration of treatment to one to five visits depending on the size, location and type of tumor. It can give hope to patients with inoperable or surgically complex tumors, as well as those seeking an alternative to conventional cancer surgery.”

“This partnership further illustrates our mission to provide patients in the North and Northwest Chicago suburbs with the highest quality of care,” said Anthony A. Armada, president of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital.

To date, more than 200,000 patients from around the world have been treated with CyberKnife. Illinois CyberKnife at Lutheran General is the latest addition to US Radiosurgery’s national network of centers. US Radiosurgery is a division of Alliance Oncology that partners with hospitals and physician groups around the U.S. to develop and operate full-body radiosurgical centers. The company’s network includes 15 facilities in 11 states and has treated thousands of patients collectively. Illinois CyberKnife is at 1700 Luther Lane, Suite 1110, Park Ridge, Ill. For more information, call (847) 723-0100 or visit www.IllinoisCK.com.