Patient Benefits
The CyberKnife ® gives new hope, especially to patients with
lesions diagnosed as inoperable and otherwise untreatable.
The CyberKnife ® gives patients the benefit of
- No incision
- No blood
- No pain
- No anesthesia
- No stereotactic frame
- No head shaving
- No recovery time
- Immediate return to normal activity
 Cyberknife® Radiosurgery
The CyberKnife ® System is a state-of-the-art technology used
to treat complex-shaped tumors with a new standard of accuracy and
conformality called T 4 or Tight-to-the-Tumor. The CyberKnife® represents
an entirely new approach to radiosurgery. Incorporating a compact,
lightweight linear accelerator mounted on a robotic arm, the CyberKnife
provides the surgeon unparalleled flexibility in targeting.
CyberKnife ® radiosurgery is a precise, painless, non-invasive
radiation treatment. CyberKnife ® is so precise, radiation beams
can be sculpted to small, complex-shaped tumors near critical structures
such as hearing and vision nerves.
Integration of unique technologies
allows physicians to treat complex-shaped tumors with clinically
proven accuracy that has been demonstrated
to be comparable, if not superior, to frame-based radiosurgical systems.
Additionally, the CyberKnife ® System does not require rigid
frame fixation, as it is able to track movement with real time stereotactic
radiography.
Patient Treatment Process
Once you and your doctor have decided the CyberKnife ® is the
best option for your condition, there are three basic steps involved
in the treatment process:
Click any below to read more:
These steps can be performed on the same day
or separate days, depending on the combined schedule preferences
of the CyberKnife ® team
and patient.
Unlike frame-based procedures, where the entire process
must be performed in a single day, a CyberKnife ® patient
does not need to wait in the hospital while the treatment plan
is being
developed. As a
result, a patient can go home after setup and return on a separate
day for treatment delivery.
The entire process is painless, and it
typically takes between 30 to 90 minutes to deliver all radiation
beams. Most typically a patient
can go home immediately upon completion and return to normal
activities. If the treatment prescription is for staged (fractionated)
radiosurgery,
the patient will return on a separate visit and repeat the above
process for treatment delivery.
How Cyberknife® Works
The CyberKnife ® is a revolutionary new way of performing stereotactic
radiosurgery – it combines two advanced technologies:
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1.
A lightweight radiation delivery system mounted on a multi-jointed
robotic arm. The robotic arm provides unparalleled access to
tumors anywhere in the body, reaching areas of the body that
are untreatable with other radisurgery systems and allowing more
flexible delivery of radiation for optimum treatment. |
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2.
An image guidance system. This advancement allows the CyberKnife ® System
to locate the tumor throughout treatment and correct for small
patient movements, which allows radiation to be delivered without
the use of a stereotactic frame. |
Multiple
beams of high energy radiation are delivered from multiple points outside
of 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 the nearby tissue.
The ability to accurately irradiate only the tumor
and protect healthy tissue allows the CyberKnife ® to treat many lesions which may
be considered inoperable or untreatable with other radiosurgery systems… giving
many patients new hope.
More Information
On Cyberknife® Radiosurgery:
 The
CyberKnife ® Society, a coalition of physicians and affiliated
healthcare professionals specializing in CyberKnife ® radiosurgery,
has a website at www.cksociety.org that
provides extensive patient information. In addition, you can contact
other patients who have
undergone CyberKnife ® radiosurgery through the CyberKnife ® Patient
Support Group at www.cyberknifesupport.org. The manufacturer website,
www.accuray.com, is another good resource with helpful information.
Videos On Cyberknife® Radiosurgery:
Click topcis listed below to view videos:
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