CyberKnife Treatment

CyberKnife Treatment in India - Non-Invasive Cancer Treatment Without Surgery

CyberKnife is a brand name for a device that delivers a type of radiation therapy called stereotactic radiosurgery. This short explains how it treats tumours without any surgical cuts.

How CyberKnife works

CyberKnife is a non-surgical radiation therapy system that delivers high doses of radiation to tumours with great accuracy.

• Robotic precision. It uses a lightweight linear accelerator mounted on a robotic arm. This allows the beam to be directed at the tumour from thousands of different angles.
• Motion tracking. The system uses image guidance to track the tumour's position in real-time. It can adjust for small movements, such as your breathing.
• Painless and non-invasive. The treatment does not require any incisions or general anaesthesia. You can usually return to your normal activities soon after a session.
• Fewer sessions. Treatment is often completed in one to five sessions over several days. This is much shorter than many conventional radiotherapy courses.

Conditions it can treat

CyberKnife is used for many types of cancerous and non-cancerous tumours, especially those that are difficult to treat with surgery.

• Brain and spine. It is often used for tumours in the brain, spine, and spinal cord, particularly those that are considered inoperable or hard to reach.
• Lung and liver. The system's ability to track motion makes it suitable for tumours in organs that move with breathing, like the lungs and liver.
• Prostate and pancreas. It is an established treatment option for prostate cancer and can also be used for certain pancreatic tumours.
• Recurrent cancers. It may also be an option for treating tumours in areas that have previously received radiation.

The treatment process

• Planning scan. Before treatment, you have a CT scan, sometimes with an MRI or PET scan, to map the exact location, size, and shape of the tumour.
• Custom plan. A medical physicist and your radiation oncologist use this data to plan the precise dose and angle of the radiation beams.
• Treatment sessions. You lie on a treatment couch while the robotic arm moves around you. Each session usually lasts between 30 and 90 minutes.
• Outpatient procedure. CyberKnife is an outpatient procedure, so you do not need to stay in the hospital and can go home the same day.

The suitability of CyberKnife depends on the type, size, and location of the tumour. A specialist radiation oncologist can determine if it is the right option for you after a full review of your medical reports and recent scans.