Woman cancer-free after last Cyberknife treatment

Lenore Rivacoba has had 6 cancer-related surgeries

MIAMI – Lenore Rivacoba has an intimate relationship with cancer.

"I've had six cancer-related surgeries. I've been sitting in a chair with chemo 36 times," she said.

Doctors discovered a large tumor in her ovaries in 2006. Over the years, she has been diagnosed with cancer in different places.

"Lymph nodes, liver, spleen -- you name it," said Rivacoba.

When Rivacoba became resistant to chemotherapy and doctors refused to operate, a friend recommended the Cyberknife Center of Miami.

Through a series of one to five treatments, a robotic arm delivers high doses of targeted radiation to cancerous tumors without affecting healthy, surrounding tissue.

"Standard radiation sometimes has to radiate a lot of normal tissue and because of that you have more side effects," said Dr. Fahed Fayad, a radiation oncologist. "Here, you have much less side effects because you're only going after the tumor itself."

"You don't feel bad, you don't have a fever, you don't have to take any medications, nothing," said Rivacoba.

The arm can reach deep-seated tumors that surgeons cannot. The treatment may also help strengthen the patient's immune system.

"A lot of these patients actually who keeps coming in for Cyberknife for different lesions, eventually their disease starts to slow down," said Fayad.

Rivacoba has been cancer-free since her last Cyberknife treatment in December 2010.

For more information, contact:

CyberKnife Center of Miami

1-800-204-0455

www.cyberknifemiami.com


About the Authors:

Kristi Krueger has built a solid reputation as an award-winning medical reporter and effervescent anchor. She joined Local 10 in August 1993. After many years co-anchoring the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., Kristi now co-anchors the noon newscasts, giving her more time in the evening with her family.