What to expect from CyberKnife treatment
If you’re being considered for CyberKnife radiation treatment, you’ll meet with a physician within a week of making the initial call. Your doctor will review your case and develop a care plan based on your specific needs and health history. The plan may include using CyberKnife radiation alone or in conjunction with other techniques.
If CyberKnife therapy is chosen and approved, your Penn Medicine team will develop an individualized treatment plan for you that includes three phases: simulation and planning; treatment sessions; and follow-up care. You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and address any concerns you have at each stage of treatment.
Simulation planning helps prepare you for your treatment sessions by identifying the size, shape, and location of the tumor and the surrounding healthy tissue. First, your radiation oncologist obtains a 3-D picture of the tumor using CT, MRI, or PET scans. This visualization helps guide the path of radiation. It’s also used to determine the precise dosing amounts for your treatments. In some cases, an additional outpatient procedure is needed to place fiducial seeds (gold seeds) prior to CT simulation. These seeds help the CyberKnife technology track any movements of the tumor throughout your treatment.
Next, you may participate in a “dry run” in the actual treatment room. All aspects of your treatment will be checked for accuracy, including how your body will be positioned during treatment and any equipment settings prescribed by your treatment plan. This planning phase helps ensure that the treatments will proceed as your care team intended.
Your actual treatment sessions typically start five to 10 days after treatment planning. The sessions last an hour or two based on the type of tumor being treated. Because CyberKnife treatment delivers precise radiation to the tumor, it can be completed in one to five sessions, unlike traditional radiotherapy that can take weeks to complete. You may have fewer treatments when compared with other types of radiation therapy because high doses of radiation are delivered so precisely during each session. The frequency of treatment sessions depends on the type of tumor and where the tumor is located.
After your CyberKnife treatment is completed, you’ll be scheduled for a follow-up visit with your radiation oncologist. The follow-up appointment typically takes place a month after treatment ends.
During this appointment, you’ll discuss any pain or side effects you are experiencing and talk about ways to treat those symptoms. It’s important to discuss any challenges you are facing because of your diagnosis or treatment, whether physical, emotional, or social. The Penn Medicine team is there to help as you proceed through your entire care journey.