OVERVIEW
Cyberknife is a fully robotic radiation therapy platform that precisely targets and destroys tumors with high doses of radiation in less time.
Body movements like breathing, coughing, etc. can cause the tumor to slightly change its position. When this happens, there are high chances of linear accelerators missing a part of the tumor or causing damage to nearby organs.
CyberKnife uses a combination of real-time imaging and pre-treatment planning to target the tumor. The pre-treatment planning allows the specialists to determine the ideal position of the tumor and the radiation beams. Real-time imaging is used to track the tumor's movement and adjust the radiation beams accordingly. This reduces damage to the surrounding healthy tissues.
CyberKnife’s precision technology allows radiologists to deliver high-dose radiation to the target area in less time. CyberKnife can treat a wide range of cancers, namely brain tumors, lung cancers, liver cancers, pancreatic cancers, and prostate cancers. Along with cancers, CyberKnife can also treat non-cancerous conditions like AV malformations, trigeminal neuralgia, and a few more functional disorders.
How Does CyberKnife Work?
Before the radiation, 3D images of the target area are created using a CT scan or the CyberKnife treatment planning computer. Along with the imaging, radiographic markers are implanted intravenously to target the tumor accurately during the treatment.
These pre-treatment images will help specialists plan the radiation dose and the number of fractions or sessions. During the treatment, the patient is asked to lie comfortably on the couch.
Once the patient is in position, his or her movements are monitored by the system’s low-dose X-ray cameras. These new images are compared with the pre-treatment images. Based on the data from the comparison, the radiation delivery is realigned.
The computer-controlled robotic arm moves around, delivering the radiation from multiple angles to the target area according to the treatment plan.
By reducing the margins and accounting for body movements, CyberKnife lessens the damage to healthy tissues and helps patients recover at a faster rate.
Advantages of Radiation Treatment with CyberKnife
CyberKnife benefits patients in numerous ways:
CyberKnife carefully tracks the movement of the tumor caused by breathing, coughing, swallowing, etc., and adjusts radiation beams accordingly.
CyberKnife helps specialists reach out to inoperable tumors and treat them with positive outcomes.
CyberKnife approaches the tumor from several unique angles and thereby reduces the damage to the surrounding tissues.
In general, CyberKnife treatment sessions are brief in number and time as this platform largely targets the affected areas while sparing healthy tissues.
CyberKnife treatment is well tolerated by most patients.
Recovery is almost immediate, with fewer treatment-related complications.
