What is Cyberknife?
Cyberknife is an advanced non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of benign or malignant tumors anywhere in the body.
It works by delivering high doses of radiation to eradicate the tumor with extreme accuracy ensuring that no harm is done to surrounding healthy tissue. This treatment modality not only offers new hope to patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors, but can also help avoid the complications associated with surgeries such as post-operative recovery pain, anesthesia and risks of infection. The CyberKnife System has more than two decades of clinical proof and has helped hundreds of thousands of cancer patients.
How is Cyberknife radiosurgery different from conventional radiotherapy treatment?
A CyberKnife delivers treatment over one to five days, whereas traditional radiotherapy can take up to seven weeks.
CyberKnife is mainly used for small, isolated tumours. Conventional radiotherapy is used to treat larger and more widespread cancers. CyberKnife targets the tumour with pinpoint accuracy, so it inflicts minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.
Because the size of the radiation field is smaller, clinicians can deliver very high doses of radiation safely. Tumours often move during treatment, even when the patient is immobilised. The CyberKnife uses advanced robotic technology to automatically detect, track and correct for even the slightest movement as it occurs throughout treatment.
Benefits of Cyberknife
• Most patients experience minimal or no side effects and recover quickly from the radiation therapy.
• The CyberKnife system was designed for patient comfort during treatment.
• CyberKnife targets tumors previously considered unreachable by surgery or radiotherapy
• With CyberKnife, you may have fewer complications and lower risks than surgery or conventional radiation
• Treatment with CyberKnife can be completed quickly.
• Traditional radiation therapy may require as many as 30 sessions.
• CyberKnife does not require anesthesia, incisions, blood loss, or recovery time.
• CyberKnife uses the body’s bony structures or implanted markers to find its target. Similar techniques require patients to wear uncomfortable frames during the procedure.
• No overnight hospital stays are required.
• CyberKnife uses the Synchrony Respiratory Tracking System to follow tumor movement, even while you breathe. Other techniques require patients to hold their breath during treatment.
• CyberKnife provides radiation to the tumor from more than 1,400 different possible angles to:
• Concentrate radiation on the tumor itself
• Avoid surrounding, healthy tissue
• CyberKnife treats previously radiated areas safely and effectively.
• CyberKnife allows doses to be spread over multiple visits.
• Unlike some radiosurgery systems
• Particularly helpful for avoiding damage to nearby normal tissues.