Advocate Christ Medical Center soon will break ground for a CyberKnife surgery center, which will use a new technology to treat cancerous tumors.
The Oak Lawn Village Board on Tuesday approved plans for the 2,200-square-foot addition to the west side of the hospital.
CyberKnife procedures will be done on an outpatient basis. The method uses robotics to treat tumors that previously had been considered inoperable, said Michael Englehart, administrator of ancillary services.
“It’s painless,” he said, noting that the technology allows for specific treatment of a tumor without affecting surrounding tissue. CyberKnife can be used for treating tumors anywhere on the body, but it is particularly helpful in treating brain tumors, he added.
Only 35 hospitals in the United States use CyberKnife technology. Advocate Christ will be the first in the Chicago area and the second in Illinois, Englehart said.
Construction is expected to begin Oct. 22 and be finished by mid-May 2006.