Cyberknife Robotic Radiosurgery system
Mr Bruce Attig introduced the speaker, Dr. Ajmel Puthawala, radiation oncologist at the Fountain Valley hospital. He is board certified and practicing radiation oncology 46 years and has extensive experience about radiation treatment to cancer patient. the topic was advances in Radiation Oncology.
He started the general history of radiation treatment, which was conceived soon after the time of discovery of radioactive radium by Madam Curie.
In the beginning there were numerous incidents of uncontrolled exposure of radiation to the patients as well as handling medical personnels, resulting in significant unwanted side effects. However, as time goes, especially by computerization, this radiation therapy became more precisely controlled and became one of major choice for cancer treatment.
The 2018 cancer estimation in USA is about 1.8 million incidence with expected cancer death around 600 thousand. Fifty percent of cancers are Prostate, lung and colon in male, and breast, lung and colon in female.
The most updated device for radiation treatment is the Cyberknife Robotic Radiosurgery system which can deliver precisely controlled amount of radiation to the exact point of cancer. However the unit costs around nine million dollars, and only three units are in metropolitan Los Angeles area including UCLA and USC medical center.
Every year, better medical modalities ( drugs, device, equipment ) are coming out with increasing cost. Everyone wants best care available. Already USA medical cost is reaching to fifty percent of our national budget, and moving up in rapid pace. How much can our society spend to afford for best medical care for everyone?
The medical cost is really very serious dilemma in modern medicine, especially more in USA.
Henry Lee