Mr. Maring "Skip" Swart shares his story in hopes others will find the best treatments for their diagnosis.

TAMPA BAY, Fla. - Believe it or not, every three minutes another person is diagnosed with this disease. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and CyberKnife Centers of Tampa Bay offers patients a new, more convenient, and highly effective radiation therapy option for lung cancer. It is called Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) and treats tumors in just one to five sessions, instead of over six to eight weeks. Lung cancer survivor, 77-year-old Maring "Skip" Swart, says he is grateful his doctors offered this option and he was a candidate for SBRT.

SBRT is a type of radiation therapy that combines extremely accurate, image-guided tumor targeting with exact patient positioning. The sessions are pain-free and require no sedation, so patients can return to their normal activities right away.
"Because of the pinpoint accuracy of this technology, SBRT can deliver higher doses of targeted radiation in fewer treatment sessions, minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue," says John R. "Jack" Steel, M.D., F.A.C.R.O., Board Certified Radiation Oncologist. "The use of advanced radiation technologies is giving us new ways to cure or manage the disease and maintain patient quality of daily life. For qualifying lung cancer patients, SBRT treatment may better fit their needs."

"My cancer was found during a routine screening, and I am hoping to encourage other Tampa Bay-area residents to get regular checkups," shares Swart. "CyberKnife is amazing because even after they initially measure your tumor, the treatment machine can be adjusted and re-programmed every session based on the tumor shrinking and movement while breathing. Since I had a good understanding of the CyberKnife process, the treatments were easy. I had no side effects. The only challenge was lying so still, but I relaxed and listened to Frank Sinatra. Me and the CyberKnife robot are very well acquainted now!"

SBRT technology is now possible because of advanced real-time imaging, where the machine monitors the movement of the lungs as a patient breathes by following markers implanted at the tumor site or placed outside of the body. CyberKnife adjusts for the motion of a patient's breathing using a technique called respiratory gating.

"I was so impressed by the whole team at CyberKnife. As a retired funeral director, I spent my entire career comforting and communicating with those in need. The team there cared for me physically and mentally; going into detail to explaining the benefits and risks of treatment, putting my mind at ease. It helps with the healing process and really makes you feel better. They are sweethearts.

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