Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life

10/16/2025

How Does CyberKnife Alleviate Pain Caused by Tumors and Nerves: While CyberKnife, a form of stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT, is primarily used to treat cancer and shrink tumors it can also be used to treat pain associated with tumors and certain types of nerve pain.

Its image-guided robotic technology, which delivers targeted high-dose radiation in fewer sessions than with traditional radiation, can reduce pain from spinal metastases and trigeminal neuralgia, a facial nerve disorder of the trigeminal nerve.

CyberKnife for Bone Pain

According to one study, CyberKnife helped relieve pain in 88% of lesions. Complete relief was achieved seven days after the start of treatment in 51% of patients and lasted a median range of three months. Pain even disappeared in 27% of patients.

According to another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, one dose of CyberKnife is more effective at controlling and easing pain from metastatic bone cancer than 10 sessions with multi-fractional radiotherapy (MFRT) – a form of radiation delivering smaller doses of radiation over a period of days or weeks.

“Delivering high-dose, single-fraction SBRT seems to be an effective treatment option for patients with painful bone metastases. Among evaluable patients, SBRT had higher rates of pain response (complete response + partial response) than did MFRT and thus should be considered for patients expected to have relatively long survival,” the study concluded.

CyberKnife for Nerve Pain

CyberKnife can also be used for trigeminal neuralgia – which can cause intense, sometimes constant pain.

Trigeminal neuralgia pain attacks can last only a few seconds, a few minutes, or much longer, and they’re often described as sudden, intense shock-like or stabbing pains on one side of the face. There can be burning, throbbing, aching or tingling between attacks, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The attacks can get worse over time. And while they typically occur in those over the age of 50, they can start at any age. More women tend to be affected than men.

Medications can help. So can complimentary treatments like meditation, acupuncture or biofeedback. But there is no guarantee.

CyberKnife can offer fast relief by delivering high doses of radiation directly to the trigeminal nerve to desensitize it.

“Patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia should always consider alternative options to surgery,” says Dr. Mark Pomper, medical director of the CyberKnife Center of Miami and board-certified radiation oncologist. “After trying medication, ask your doctor, is there a non-invasive treatment available?

Typically, patients need only one CyberKnife treatment. If the pain returns, a second treatment may be considered but we’ve been very successful with just one treatment.”

The largest prospective, single-institution study from Italy published in the journal Neurosurgery in 2018 found: “Pain relief was achieved in 93.5% of patients after a median delay of three weeks after treatment” with CyberKnife.

Nearly 75% of the patients in the study achieved pain relief after just one treatment.

These patients were able to decrease their pain medications and eventually stop using them. Of the patients in the study, 33 or 25% of patients underwent a second treatment with CyberKnife. And after that treatment they achieved pain relief.

CyberKnife is FDA approved for trigeminal neuralgia. Yet many of those with the condition aren’t aware this easy, simple treatment exists.

“I’m surprised at how long many of these patients have suffered before they are referred to a CyberKnife center for treatment. That’s why it’s so very important that we get this information out about CyberKnife as a non-invasive treatment option for trigeminal neuralgia,” says Dr. Pomper.

South Florida Cancer Treatment Center

Cyberknife Miami opened its doors 23 years ago and was the first Cyberknife center to open in the Southeast.

We treat patients with brain, lung, prostate, spine, head and neck, liver, kidney and pancreatic cancer as well as patients with trigeminal neuralgia and pain related to cancer.

CyberKnife Miami has helped thousands of patients with pain relief and can be done on its own or in combination with other therapies depending on the type of cancer or ailment.

If you would like to find out more about cancer and pain treatment with CyberKnife, call us at 305-279-2900.

Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life





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10/15/2025

Since CyberKnife Miami opened its doors nearly 25 years ago, our team has treated more than 4,000 patients using CyberKnife technology, which is the most cutting edge, targeted radiation therapy available today to treat many different kinds of tumors and nerve disorders like Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Radiation therapy is a highly effective treatment option with about 60% of patients receiving it as part of their care.

However new research show, despite its proven efficacy it's underutilized.
This can lead to worse outcomes for some patients, suggesting that more patients could benefit from this treatment, especially with the
advancements of newer techniques like CyberKnife which greatly reduce side effects.

Impact of Underuse:
Worse survival rates: The same study found that patients who did not receive radiation therapy had significantly lower five-year and 10-year survival rates compared to those who did.

Missed Opportunity for Cure: Radiation therapy is a powerful tool that, when used appropriately, can increase the chances of cancer cure, but its underuse in certain situations means some patients may not get the best possible outcome.

How to Ensure Appropriate Use:
It is crucial to consult with a radiation oncologist to discuss whether radiation therapy is appropriate for your specific type of cancer and stage.

Stay informed: Ask your care team about all treatment options, including radiation, and understand how it might be used to improve the outcome of your cancer care.

Understand its role: Remember that radiation therapy can be used on its own, before or after surgery, or with other treatments like chemotherapy.

If your doctor has prescribed radiation therapy call the experts at the Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life to find out if you would benefit from it 305-279-2900.

10/13/2025

Study Shows CyberKnife® System Provides Long-Lasting Pain Relief for Trigeminal Neuralgia Patients: CyberKnife Frameless Radiosurgery Offers a Precise and Non-Invasive Technique with Clinical Outcomes Similar to Gamma Knife Frame-Based Invasive Radiosurgery
A study of 138 patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) showed stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) delivered with the CyberKnife® System resulted in rapid and long-lasting pain relief, with minimal side effects. The study, titled “Image-Guided Robotic Radiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia,” was published in the issue of the peer-reviewed journal Neurosurgery and provides robust clinical data supporting the efficacy and safety of the system for TN patients. It is the largest single-center study of TN patients treated with the CyberKnife technology reported to date.

“This study is important because it reinforces that CyberKnife SRS provides unique benefits in the treatment of TN. Pain management goals were achieved and bothersome complications were rare even though a less invasive approach to delivering radiation was used,” said Professor Pantaleo Romanelli, M.D., Centro Diagnostico Italiano, Milan, Italy. “Importantly, we used a consistent treatment protocol for each patient that resulted in reproducible outcomes. This should provide confidence to other clinicians that they, too, can achieve similar clinical results.”

TN is a disease often characterized by severe pain, with some patients describing it as the most atrocious pain human beings can suffer. Techniques like CyberKnife SRS may provide new hope for people living with this severe and challenging-to-treat medical condition.

Significant Pain Control:
Pain relief was achieved in 93.5 percent of patients after a median delay of three weeks after treatment
Stable pain control was maintained by 76 percent of patients three years after the first treatment. The remainder of the patients attained pain control after a second treatment

Elimination of Pain Medication:
78.9 percent of patients were completely pain- and medication-free within six months after treatment
93.5 percent of patients were able to decrease the dose of medications intended to control pain throughout follow-up and finally cease pain medication

Manageable Toxicity:
Overall, 18.1 percent of patients developed some sensory disturbance. Of these patients, 68 percent experienced the onset of complications after their second treatment; this is a typical side effect following re-irradiation

“The frameless CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System delivers radiation beams from multiple unique angles (non-isocentric approach) with sub-millimeter accuracy. The reproducibility of the delivery technique resulted in excellent clinical outcomes for the patients with a non-invasive technique, unlike Gamma Knife. This study confirms the long lasting effect of one single fraction treatment delivered with the CyberKnife system,” said Fabienne Hirigoyenberry-Lanson, PhD, Vice President Global Medical and Scientific Affairs, at Accuray.

Importantly, the CyberKnife® technology’s unique image guidance and automatic beam correction capability enabled the precise dose targeting necessary to treat TN. No head frame was required to obtain the pain control and side effect profile achieved with Gamma Knife, as reported in other studies..

About Trigeminal Neuralgia:
Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic pain disorder affecting the trigeminal or 5th cranial nerve. The condition requires long-term medical treatment which usually starts with medications to lessen or block the pain signals sent to the brain. Over time some patients stop responding to medications or suffer from unpleasant side effects. For those patients, injections, surgery, or radiosurgery are alternative treatments.

About the Study
In this study, 138 patients with TN were treated with the CyberKnife System. A prescription dose of 60 Gy was delivered in a single fraction to a 6-mm segment of the nerve. The minimum and median follow-up was 36 and 52.4 months, respectively. All patients had taken medications for an average of 4.3 years before treatment with radiation. The primary study objective was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CyberKnife SRS in TN patients.

For more information, or to set up a consultation call the CyberKnife Center of Miami at 305-279-2900. We’ve treated hundreds of trigem patients with great success.
Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life

A study of patients with trigeminal neuralgia showed CyberKnife resulted in rapid and long-lasting pain relief, with minimal side effects.

10/10/2025

Did you know that long-term tumor control is achieved in 90% of lesions treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery as a primary treatment?
CyberKnife uses an advanced image-guided robotic radiation therapy system to target and destroy cancerous and non-cancerous lesions with pinpoint accuracy. CyberKnife greatly reduces the risk of side effects and most often requires only 1-to-5 treatments.
With The Beam of Life, the CyberKnife Center of Miami is giving thousands of people new hope in treating various cancers, even where there was none.
Visit our website to learn more at
www.cyberknifemiami.com or call our team at 305-279-2900 with any questions.
Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life

10/09/2025

Here Are Answers To The Most Frequently Asked Questions From Patients of Our Staff About CyberKnife Treatment at CyberKnife Miami ~
When diagnosed with cancer or any ailment requiring radiation therapy, in this case CyberKnife, patients have a lot of questions. We asked the team at CyberKnife Miami to share the answers to FAQ’S so you can have them right now.
Maria Kristina Borgen is the first person you will likely talk to when you call the center, and she is the one who answers most of the questions when patients first call our cancer center.
Maria Kristina is the office manager, and so much more. She schedules appointments and helps patients manage their treatment plan, including working with your insurance. Her goal is to make the process for patients as easy as possible and get you treated as quickly as possible, which is vital because a cancer diagnosis is stressful and can be overwhelming.
What you will notice first and foremost is the compassion and understanding the team has for patients, we put their needs first, above our’s.

Here are the answers to the most FAQ’s answered by Maria Kristina Borgen
Does my insurance cover the procedure?
“Most insurances cover CyberKnife but as reassurance I always verify prior to scheduling consultation and obtain eligibility details, and if there is any patient responsibility. I am transparent with financial fees upfront and offer payment plan options depending on the situation. I always offer to work with patients so it will not be a financial burden, nor deter them from pursing treatment.”

Is there a long wait before my treatment appointments are scheduled?
“Usually not, unless the doctor treating you is away. We try to accommodate patients as best we can. I consider factors such as the patient’s work schedule, account time for commutes, especially if they are coming from a longer distance such as the Florida Keys or the West Palm Beach area. The typical time frame to start treatment is usually within two weeks after your consultation, but I have to consider external factors such as insurance authorization if required, and doctor availability.”

Can I work after my treatment?
“The answer is usually yes, unless indicated otherwise by your treating physician. This is addressed at the time of your consultion, but most of our patients resume daily activities right after their treatment session, including hitting the gym to workout. It’s most often just a personal decision if they elect to go back to work right after treatment or take time off from work.”

How long is each treatment session?
“Time can differ depending on the area we are treating and how many fractions are scheduled, but typically it’s between 30-to-45 minutes on an average. The patient is informed how long each treatment will take prior to starting so they know what to expect. We also have to account for set-up time when they get on the CyberKnife treatment table. That can add another 5-to-10 minutes.”

Do I have to be accompanied by someone each time I get treated?
“No. It isn’t necessary to have someone come with you and we don’t require it unless you elect to take an oral sedative because you’re nervous, or if your case requires you to wear a mask and you’re claustrophobic and have taken a sedative, then you need someone to drive you. Other than these instances, we do not require it and leave it up to the patient. Most patients tolerate the treatment very well, don’t need sedatives to calm themselves, and actually find it relaxing and end up taking a little nap during their treatment session.”

Hopefully we helped answer your most pertinent questions, but we know you will have many more and we are happy to answer all of them for you. Just reach out to us at 305-279-2900. And just FYI, chances are you will get a real person on the phone when you call, not an answering machine. If we can’t because we are with patients, or it’s after hours, we will call you back as soon as we can.

In addition, you can email us with any questions, and we will answer those too because we know this is a scary time and you need answers and reassurance as soon as you can get it to ease your mind. Here is our email address. info@cyberknifemiami.com

“When Dealing With Disease: Help Or At The Very Least Do No Harm”
Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life

You've got questions about cancer treatment with CyberKnife, and we've got the answers from our team right now

10/07/2025

Follow up on Natalia's Story: Without CyberKnife to treat her trigeminal neuralgia, Natalia says her baby boy Bernard, now 2 years old probably wouldn't have been born. She says, "CyberKnife gave our baby boy a chance at life and I wanted to share how thankful we are to Dr. Mark Pomper and the team at CyberKnife Miami. It’s been 4 years and I haven’t had one flareup from trigeminal neuralgia ever since my CyberKnife treatment. Thanks to you, our dream of having a new baby came true, completing our family. I’m forever thankful!" ~ Natalia Eilers

Natalia was on so many pain medications she couldn’t try for her third baby, but after one
CyberKnife treatment for her Trigeminal Neuralgia, the pain went away, she got off the medications, and they began trying for another baby, they wanted a boy to complete their family and the little blessing Bernard arrived 9 months later.

All of us at CyberKnife Miami are thrilled we played a small part in bringing Bernard into the world.

Family is everything to Natalia. This happy-go-lucky, filled with laughter, effervescent, stay at home mom loves nurturing and taking care of her children. She and her husband were looking forward to expanding their family when facial pain brought it to a screeching halt.
Natalia says, “I really wanted to have another baby. We were hoping for a boy, but I started having numbness in my lip. At first I thought it was some sort of allergy but then I started having excruciating facial shocks, 15-to-20 a day that would last about 20 seconds and bring me to my knees. I’d drop to the floor and cry. It was so awful for me but I worried most about my daughters seeing me in such pain, I wasn’t myself anymore and it scared them. It was the worst pain you could ever have.”

“I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia and my neurologist put me on an anti-seizure medication which helps with nerve problems. It did help in the beginning but the pain got worse so I was given another medication which made me tired, I was in bed all the time, had to be in a dark room when I had a flare up. I was depressed, losing my hair, always hungry and gained 20 pounds. It changed everything and affected my whole family. It was terrible for my daughters to see me like that, having attacks all the time. They suffered a lot, were very sad and scared.”

“After 8 months on medication I realized I couldn’t live like this anymore. I never knew when I was going to have an attack. A breeze across my face could set it off, so I started doing my own research and watched videos on YouTube to find different options.”
“I saw the surgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia and didn’t want to go through all that cutting and trauma. Luckily I came across CyberKnife Radiation Therapy, a noninvasive way to treat it and it sounded so amazing so I started looking for where it’s done in South Florida and discovered the CyberKnife Center of Miami so I called and talked to Mario Tobon, their lead Radiation Therapist and he said this is definitely something I could try, he explained everything to me so clearly about how it works, potential side effects but that they’ve had great success with CyberKnife for Trigeminal Neuralgia. It sounded too good to be true but I knew the pills would destroy me and I had to do something.”

“I was very nervous, however after talking to Mario at great length he calmed me down and convinced me about the advantages and benefits of CyberKnife.
I told my family about it, my husband, mom, dad and the girls and we were all in from the start. After all what did I have to lose except a life filled with pain.
They are all so helpful at CyberKnife Miami. From start to finish they worked with me and squeezed me in while my mom was here to help with the kids. They did it all and made everything come together so easily, which is incredible.”

“I met with Dr. Mark Pomper, he’s the chief radiation oncologist at the center. He was amazing. He gave me a full medical exam and looked at all my scans. The team is so thorough. He explained everything to me in such a simple way. He and everyone there gave me such confidence. Dr. Pomper kept telling me, don’t be so nervous. He said it will probably require only one radiation treatment session, but if you need more, Mario and I will be here for you. He talks in such a nice way.”

“The day of the treatment I was still a little scared. I went with my husband. They took us into the CyberKnife room and explained exactly how it would go. The process was quick. It took about 45 minutes from the time I laid down on the CyberKnife table and got up. The machine moving around me made me a little nervous at first but I didn’t feel a thing and almost feel asleep. Afterwards I had a little headache, took a Tylenol and a nap, woke up and I was fine. It was amazing.”

Dr. Pomper says, “Most often we can help patients like Natalia and are happy we were able to help her given the desperate situation she was in. She presented with a difficult case and didn’t have many options. Medications can control the pain but usually only for awhile and they weren’t helping her much. She didn’t want to do surgery and with good reason. Brain surgery is always very risky, it can worsen the problem and the pain can come back. Cyberknife is very effective. By hitting the Tri Gem nerve with pin-point targeted radiation, it decreases the function of the nerve fibers which cause the pain, but doesn’t do any damage to surrounding nerves or tissue in the face.
CyberKnife usually only takes one treatment and relief varies but usually happens within a week. If the pain comes back in anyway shape or form we can retreat it, but I haven’t seen that happen.”

Natalia says, "At first after the treatment I was scared to sneeze or cough fearing it would set off another pain attack like usual, but it didn’t. I did feel a bit more nerve pain in my face right after the treatment, but after a few weeks I was off the pain meds and I felt nothing. It took me a month to stop being so cautious and realize the pain was not coming back.”
“I’m so grateful, I have my energy and my life back. Before I couldn’t make plans, I was afraid of waking up because I didn’t know what the day would bring. I hated going outside because the wind brushing across my face could start an attack. Now I can exercise and do everything I did before. Living in pain makes you appreciate living with no pain and you no longer take the simple things in life for granted.”
“My girls are so happy again. The day I got the treatment my oldest daughter kept saying, mommy did it work, did it work? My pain was so hard on them. I went from being a happy, laughing person to living in constant pain."

“I tell everyone I can about CyberKnife. I joined different facial pain groups on Facebook and Instagram. The community is very big, we share our stories and do live talks with doctors answering questions.”

“People mistakenly think Trigeminal Neuralgia only affects older people but I know people who’ve had facial pain since adolescents. This can happen to anyone at any age for many different reasons and unknown reasons, like me. We’re called the Trigeminal Neuralgia Warriors.”

“My best advice to anyone who’ll listen is, you don’t have to live in pain, take pills for the rest of your life or go through risky, invasive surgery. Do your research and check out CyberKnife. It works. If your doctors aren’t helping you, are giving you only one option and put CyberKnife down or don’t know about it, switch doctors. Don’t be afraid. Go to a CyberKnife expert. I’m so happy I did and more people need to know about CyberKnife. I talk to so many people in the Trigem community. They know about the surgery and pills but not about CyberKnife and that has to change.”

“My pain started in July of 2020 and ended when I got CyberKnife treatment in April of 2021. Being pain free and off medication, we tried for another baby and 9 months later Bernard arrived. CyberKnife gave me that gift.”

CyberKnife Miami has treated thousands of patients since opening in 2003. We are the most experienced CyberKnife team in Miami, which is why we can handle the most difficult and complicated cases. call us at 305-279-2900 to find out if we can help you or a loved one.
Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life

10/07/2025

CyberKnife radiation therapy can often effectively manage the pain of trigeminal neuralgia with just one treatment, which only takes about an hour.
If the pain comes back, it sometimes can be treated again.
Despite its name, CyberKnife is not a knife at all. It’s completely non-invasive and is the most cutting edge radiation technology available today, also known as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).
There’s no cutting, incision, blood, anesthesia, or pain. There are minimal, if any, side effects and no recovery time. You can resume your normal activities immediately following treatment.
Patients come in wearing their street clothes, lie down on the CyberKnife table, and relax while treatment is administered. Immediately following treatment they can return to normal activities.
CyberKnife has a success rate of 75 to 85 percent with less than a one percent chance of side effects.
Rest assured, at CyberKnife Miami you’re working with some of the most experienced and highly trained surgeons, medical physicists, and radiation therapists in the world. They will meticulously map out a treatment plan for your specific needs.
They will oversee your entire procedure, ensuring your experience is as successful and comfortable as possible.
CyberKnife has been FDA approved for nearly 20 years, is clinically proven to be safe and effective, has successfully treated hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide, and is typically covered by insurance.
If your doctor has confirmed that you have trigeminal neuralgia, call CyberKnife Center of Miami today at (800) 204-0455
Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life

10/06/2025

CyberKnife Inside The Tech: How Real-Time Imaging Improves Tumor Targeting While You Breathe Naturally ~ Your body is a hard-working machine every second of every day. Every minute your heart beats on average about 75 beats.
Blood vessels of all sizes and circumferences are carrying blood to make sure you have the right amount of oxygen and nutrients from your toes to your head.
Your brain is processing information.
Your digestive system is churning.
Your bladder is filling.
You are breathing.

And your body is doing much of this without you knowing what’s happening on the inside. So, even if you are lying still — as is often required with radiation treatment for cancer – your body is in constant motion.

That’s why if you do need radiation, you want technology that can move with your body, track a tumor with pinpoint accuracy and leave healthy tissue unharmed. In other words, you want radiation with CyberKnife.

CyberKnife focuses radiation directly on the tumor with a technology called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). It can be used to treat patients with prostate, lung, brain, spine, head and neck, liver, pancreas and kidney cancers as well as some noncancerous conditions like trigeminal neuralgia and acoustic neuromas. It can also be an alternative to surgery, or it can also be used for patients where surgery may not be an option.

The CyberKnife Advantage

CyberKnife uses a robotic radiation system along with real-time image guidance to move and bend around a patient “to deliver radiation doses from potentially thousands of unique beam angles, significantly expanding the possible positions to concentrate radiation to the tumor while minimizing dose to surrounding healthy tissue,” according to Accuray, the maker of CyberKnife.

Here’s why that matters. Imagine a stationary faucet trying to pour water in a glass that keeps moving. There would be a lot of splashing. CyberKnife is more like a faucet that moves with the glass, as shown in this video, to prevent any splashing.

“The patient could change their position or move their head, even slightly. The patient could cough. Muscles tense and relax. The CyberKnife System is the only device designed to accommodate all forms of patient and tumor motion, even while the treatment is being delivered. With its motion adaptive delivery technology, the CyberKnife System enables smaller treatment margins around the tumor, minimizing the amount of healthy tissue exposed to high-dose radiation,” says Accuray.

Cancer Treatment Miami

“CyberKnife is the most advanced radiosurgery technique available for the treatment of cancerous and non-cancerous lesions and tumors throughout the body,” according to the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami.

And we have been treating patients with CyberKnife for more than 20 years. In fact, CyberKnife Miami opened our doors in 2003, becoming only the 11th CyberKnife center in the United States at that time.

Here are a few other benefits of cancer treatment with CyberKnife:

Excellent control of tumors
Lower risk of damage to healthy tissue
Better quality of life while undergoing treatment
Fewer treatments than with traditional radiation
Most areas of the body can receive multiple treatments with CyberKnife, and areas can be retreated.
CyberKnife Miami believes that not only does precision matter, but so does expertise. And we have that expertise to help you or your loved one with a cancer diagnosis. We are among the most experienced CyberKnife teams worldwide because we’re among those doing it the longest, and that can make a big difference in your outcome. It’s also why patients come to us from all over the world and doctor referral is not necessary.

If you are interested in learning more about CyberKnife treatments call CyberKnife Miami at 305-279-2900.
Cyberknife Center of Miami - The Beam Of Life

Patients are alive and tumors move during radiation treatment delivery. Is that motion ignored or compensated for by attempting to use restraints or ineffici...