CYBERKNIFE
What is CyberKnife Radiosurgery?
CyberKnife® radiosurgery is a precise, painless, non-invasive radiation treatment that can be an alternative to open surgery in certain cases. Multiple beams of high energy radiation are delivered from multiple points outside the body and converge precisely at the tumor or lesion inside the body. Each individual beam is not sufficient to cause harm, but the convergence of all the beams at the tumor results in the lesion receiving a very high dose of radiation while sparing nearby normal tissue.
CyberKnife’s level of precision allows us to sculpt beams delivered to small, complex-shaped tumors near critical structures, such as nerves for hearing, vision and the spinal cord. It makes an ideal tool for treating tumors of the head and neck, brain and spine.
How CyberKnife Works
The CyberKnife is a revolutionary new way of performing Stereotactic Radiosurgery on tumors located in the head/neck region with greater precision than the Gamma Knife, without the pain and inconvenience associated with the conventional head frame that must be affixed to the skull with screws. Published studies have shown that frameless CyberKnife radiosurgery is as accurate—if not more so—than traditional frame-based radiosurgery
CyberKnife is a lightweight radiation delivery system mounted on a multi-jointed robotic arm, allowing more flexible delivery of radiation for optimum treatment. With its built-in image guidance system, CyberKnife monitors a tumor’s location throughout treatment, and allows the system to correct for small patient movements. This allows radiation to be delivered without the use of a stereotactic frame.
Who Will be Involved in my Treatment?
CyberKnife treatment utilizes a team approach where medical experts collaborate with you as their central
focus. Team members may include your surgeon, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, physicist, radiation therapist and other team members within the hospital.
Benefits of CyberKnife
• 100% Frameless, no bulky sterotactic frame screwed to the skull
• Delivers custom molded Beamlets which form radiation within the tumor
• Ideal for Tumors of the Head and Neck
• Minimizes radiation to healthy tissue
CyberKnife Outpatient Treatment
Fiducial Placement
If you are undergoing CyberKnife treatment for a spinal or body (non-head) lesion, you may require a short outpatient procedure to implant several small metal markers (fiducials) near the tumor to enable the CyberKnife System to track tumor position throughout treatment. Lesions in the head do not require this step.
Making a Mask or Body Mold
A custom soft mask (for head/neck treatments) or body mold is formed and used to help minimize movement during the treatment and ensure your comfort. The process is simple and painless.
Imaging
A CT scan is performed. Your physicians use the scan to identify the exact size, shape and location of the tumor along with the surrounding vital structures to be avoided. The CT data is downloaded to the CyberKnife treatment planning computer where physicians will use advanced software to customize the number, intensity and direction of radiation beams the robot will send to the target. You do not need to be present during this step.
Arriving
After checking in at the CyberKnife facility for treatment,
you will be asked to lie on the treatment table and will be fitted with the custom mask or body mold made
earlier during the set-up process. Generally, no sedation or anesthesia is required because the treatment is painless.
During treatment, you will need to lie still. You will be awake throughout the entire procedure, which typically lasts 30-90 minutes depending on the complexity of your tumor. The image guidance system periodically takes x-ray images and compares them to data from the CT scan to ensure the radiation is targeted accurately to the tumor.
Completion
If you are undergoing single-session radiosurgery treatment, your treatment is complete, and you can usually leave the hospital and resume normal activity immediately. If your physician prescribes a “hypo-fractionated” or staged treatment, you will need to return for additional daily treatments.
Follow-up
As with any radiosurgery or radiation therapy procedure, follow-up imaging and physician consultation is required to monitor your tumor’s progress.
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