Cyberknife Radiosurgery

[claudiav]

This post has 2 parts.

 

1) Does anyone have any experience with CyberKnife RadioSurgery? It's not surgery, it's high dose radiation. "CyberKnife Radiosurgery System uses a high-tech, image-guided and computerized robotic control system to deliver radiation with unprecedented sub-millimeter accuracy. The CyberKnife radiation beams are sculpted to conform tightly to complex masses, delivering multiple radiation beams from many points outside the body to the targeted tumor. On its own, each beam is relatively weak, but when they converge on the identified mass, they deliver high-energy, pinpointed radiation with astounding power."

 

2) What woudl YOU do?

So the consult is $175. Fine, no prob.

After going thru Remy’s history, if I wanted to go forward, they would do the CT scan that day. That’s one anesthesia. Cost for that 1^st app would be $3500-$4000.

If he was a good candidate for the CyberKnife radiation (if the bone wasn’t compromised by tumor, and if it hadn’t metastasized to lungs/thyroid), they would plan out his procedure, and do it the following week.

The procedure is done in 3 treatments, 3 days in a row. That’s thee more anesthesia. Cost for this is $4000-$5000, depending on whether he would be boarded, or needed extra meds.

So $175 for the consult, and $8500-$9000 for procedure if he qualifies.

They recommend 3 to 6 chemo treatments after this procedure. Didn’t ask about anesthesia, but I don’t think it’s common.

 

I had already made peace with the decision to provide REMY just palliative care and make the rest of his days THE BEST DAYS!! What would you do, with a new procedure that doesn’t involve amputation, but could give him another year (maybe)?

I have insurance, but it tops off at $10K/lifetime per illness. The $1250 I already paid @ LIVS two weeks ago, would go against the $10K lifetime limit, leaving me with $8750 that they would reimburse 80% of.

 

Let’s say it would cost $2600 out of pocket for this procedure. Any chemo afterward would be completely out of pocket, and I don’t even know how much that would be (3-6 treatments).

 

What would YOU do? They are all booked up for this week. Right now, they do have appt available for Mon, Tues, Wed of next week. I'm torn up about it. I don't know if I want to put him thru this. If he's going to suffer. If h's going to understand. If it'll work. What if he has tumors in other parts of his body and those are not even diagnosed/treated?

 

 

 

 

[grey14me]

I haven't had a dog go through this experience. My mom had it for her brain tumor. She was originally given approx. 3 months to live. The tumor has shown no significant growth 18 months later. My mom has many other issues due to chemotherapy drugs and steroid use, but nothing from the tumor. Hers was a very complex tumor. Anaplastic astrocytoma...which means star-shaped, so it's impossible to do normal surgery, but this has seriously been a miracle for her.

[Charlies_Dad]

Tracy (tbhounds) will know about this. We considered it for Charlie when we found the mass in his chest however after consulting with Dr. Coutu, he did not feel it would work well for him. I am forgetting the reason why however personally I would have done it in a heartbeat if Dr. C. and others felt it was a good option.

[jaym1]

did you ever find out if OSU would provide you with free carboplatin for a non-amputee osteo greyhound?

 

this is a complex issue, and i havent really looked into it. but if the medical literature says that this therapy really could bring up to a year of quality time, then you'd effectively be going for the same result that people who opt for amputation go for, and at a total price that is not outlandishly far above amputation, especially since you have insurance.

 

even still, that is a serious number. if you have the finances, and are comfortable with it, why not? part of me reflexively says, "no way" when the cost of care that may very well not work starts to get that high. on the other hand, life is the scarcest of the scarce, and the most precious of the precious. even a good day is priceless on its own, nevermind a year.

[claudiav]

did you ever find out if OSU would provide you with free carboplatin for a non-amputee osteo greyhound?

 

YES, directly from Dr Christine Kellogg "We can provide 4 doses of Carboplatin chemotherapy (donations accepted) after amputation, but not for cases where amputation is not done."

[tbhounds]

I sent you a pm :-)

[claudiav]

I sent you a pm :-)

 

I replied Thanx Tracy