Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Summer 2021

citizensmemorial.com 11 New radiation treatment technology Central Care Cancer Center, located at the Carrie J. Babb Cancer Center at CMH, recently installed a Varian TrueBeam TM radiation treatment machine. The equipment delivers pinpoint accuracy through image-guided technology. Among TrueBeam’s benefits are that it: » Customizes treatment to your unique attributes. » Spares healthy tissue while focusing on the tumor. » Offers shortened courses in treatment. » Encompasses your breathing cycle and internal organ movement in the treatment plan. TO LEARN MORE about oncology services at Central Care Cancer Center, call 417-326-7200 . BACK ON HIS FEET A few years ago, Burton’s back pain from the tumors was unrelenting, because his spine was unstable. He was confined to a wheelchair and walker—unable to enjoy any quality of life, including working in his yard and spending time with his daughter, Britney. Dr. Shunyakov and board certified orthopedic surgeon Troy Morrison, D.O., with CMH Orthopedic & Spine Center, recommended OsteoCool TM radiofrequency (RF) ablation for his pain. “Before the procedure, I couldn’t get around at all,” Burton says. “After my surgery, I immediately felt relief. I used only a walker for a while, graduated to a cane and then got to the point where I didn’t need any assistance at all.” OsteoCool RF ablation is a minimally invasive spine procedure that uses energy to generate heat to dry out and kill cancerous cells. If a Put pain behind you For more information about radiofrequency ablation and kyphoplasty, consult your provider or call CMH Orthopedic & Spine Center at 417-777-2663 . tumor is located in the spine, such as Burton’s, the patient may also have a vertebral compression fracture, and Dr. Morrison will perform a vertebral-stabilizing procedure called kyphoplasty. The outpatient surgery takes 30 minutes. CARE CLOSETO HOME Dr. Morrison is fellowship-trained in spine surgery and is the region’s only orthopedic surgeon to perform OsteoCool procedures outside the spine. “It’s not uncommon that cancer patients with tumors outside the spine would travel to Mayo Clinic or MD Anderson Cancer Center for this treatment,” Dr. Morrison says. “But we can help patients with bone lesions reduce their pain and find relief, right here at CMH.” Most patients diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer only have a 1 in 10 chance of survival. After more than six years of treatment and surgeries, Burton is now in remission and finishing up his final infusions. After his kyphoplasty, Burton’s greatest accomplishment was escorting Britney onto the field for Osceola’s homecoming, without a walker. “I told him we would save him,” says Dr. Shunyakov. “I knew Robert could beat the odds. He just kept the experts guessing.”