CyberKnife is an advanced technological radiosurgery system that provides sub-millimeter precision in the treatment of cancer anywhere on the body.
CyberKnife is particularly used in multiple tumors that require complex surgery and in the treatment of tumors that cannot be surgically operated on. The sub-millimeter precision minimizes potential damage to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor. The CyberKnife also monitors and tracks the patient’s respiratory motion to correlate with the tumor’s motion during the procedure, which ensures accurate radiation delivery.
The CyberKnife is a radiosurgery system designed to perform cancer treatment with more than millimetric precision. With this system, radiation beams are focused to treat cancerous areas of the brain and any part of the body with high doses of radiation. At the same time, healthy tissues can be protected from the effects of radiation at maximum rates. The computer controlled robot technology can practically dance and twirl around the patient to apply radiation from hundreds of different angles.
The treatment does not require anesthesia and is completely pain-free allowing for patients to quickly return to daily activities.
What Cancers can be Treated with the CyberKnife?
The CyberKnife can be used in all lesions of the brain and head-neck region. There are no limitations on the size or position of the lesion. It is preferred to treat malignant and benign tumors, metastases, arteriovenous malformations, and some functional diseases.
It is also suitable for:
- Lung Cancer
- Prostate Cancer
- Head and Neck Cancers
- Vertebra Tumors
- Pancreas Cancers
- Liver Cancer
The CyberKnife is also preferred in situations when the tumor changes position with respiration or intestinal movements, tumors that were not treatable in the past or only treatable through surgeries that left damage, tumors around the eyes which would require the surgical removal of the eye, and in spinal disorders that are very sensitive to radiation.
Furthermore, this method is applied to patients that have received radiotherapy; however, the recurrence of the disease was in the same area.
What are the Treatable Conditions?
The CyberKnive is FDA approved for radiation therapy treatment of tumors and lesions located anywhere on the body. Conditions that can be treated with the CyberKnife include:
- Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors
- Spine Cancer
- Spinal Cord Tumors
- Soft Tissue Tumors (Lung, Kidney, Liver, Pancreas)
- Acoustic Neuromas
- Meningiomas and Skull-Base Tumors
- Pituitary Tumors
- Recurrent and Residual Tumors
- Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs)
- Functional Disorders, Trigeminal Neuralgia
What are the Benefits of CyberKnife?
CyberKnife is a suitable treatment for lesions in small and difficult accessible regions which cannot be operated on.
- It is an option for tumors that do not require surgery or require a very complex surgery or tumors which are inoperable
- It minimizes the damage to healthy tissue
- Fast treatment is provided as the sessions vary from 1 to 5 sessions in total
- The instant image guidance system and controlled robot technology monitors the tumor and patient movements to detect changes for immediate correction
- Respiration, which may create movements in the tumor, is monitored for sensitive adjustments to be made for radiation to be applied accurately
- Multiple tumors can be treated simultaneously
- It is painless without the need of anesthesia
- It is an outpatient treatment, hospitalization is not required and the patient can quickly return to daily life routines
