The CyberKnife Radiosurgery System
A Revolutionary New Treatment Option
The CyberKnife® system uses precisely targeted radiation to destroy lesions anywhere in the body in 1-5 fractions and is an excellent alternative to traditional surgery. Because it is not surgery, CyberKnife® does not present the same problems as traditional surgery. There is no anesthesia and the risk of infection and hemorrhaging is minimized.
The CyberKnife® offers sub-millimeter targeting precision and effectively spares healthy tissue surrounding the targeted area, due to the extremely sharp radiation fall off outside the high-dose region. Following treatment, the patient goes home with no need for recovery time.
Precision, Image-Guided Radiation
The CyberKnife® combines two systems: a compact, lightweight linear accelerator mounted on a robotic arm that sends the radiation to the patient; and an image guidance system that tracks the tumor's location within the body - in real time - to direct the radiation to the precise location where it is needed.
The guidance system uses the patient's skeletal structure or implanted radio-opaque markers as a point of reference, continuously re-imaged throughout the entire treatment, re-aquiring the target volume and adjusting the beam within millimeter tolerance up to 100 or more times during each treatment session. In fact, it is the only system that monitors and tracks tumor position continually during treatment.
The robotic arm that delivers the radiation is so maneuverable that physicians may treat a lesion from up to 1600 non-coplanar targeting angles. This means they may use it to treat tumors and other lesions anywhere in the body without open surgery, including some that were previously untreatable.
A Full-Body Radiosurgery System
CyberKnife® was developed by Accuray Incorporated and received FDA clearance in 1992. Their on-going mission is “To provide treatment planning and image-guided radiosurgery and precision radiotherapy for lesions, tumors, and conditions anywhere in the body when radiation treatment is indicated.” Over 140 medical centers worldwide have chosen CyberKnife and 20,000 patients have been treated as of January 1, 2006.
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