What is CyberKnife radiation?
CyberKnife® radiation therapy uses robotic technology to treat cancerous and noncancerous tumors anywhere in the body. It delivers beams of high-dose radiation to tumors with extreme accuracy, offering a treatment option to patients whose tumors were previously considered inoperable due to their challenging location or proximity to major organs. This minimally invasive treatment can be performed on an outpatient basis without surgery or anesthesia, with fewer side effects than conventional surgery.
Your Penn Medicine team has years of experience using CyberKnife radiation and can tailor a treatment plan to your individual needs. A multidisciplinary team of radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, and dosimetrists (specialists who determine the correct dose of radiation for your treatment) work together to ensure that your radiation is delivered with precision for the best possible outcome.
How CyberKnife delivers precise radiation
What sets the CyberKnife technique apart from other radiation treatments is its use of a robotic arm that can move around a patient to deliver radiation beams. The central component is a linear accelerator machine, often used for different types of radiation therapy. CyberKnife technology uses a lightweight version of this machine that can be mounted on a robotic arm. This gives CyberKnife the flexibility to treat tumors from a variety of angles and recalibrate the direction of radiation beams in real time.
CyberKnife’s imaging technology tracks tumor movement continuously throughout treatment by adjusting its radiation beams to a patient’s breathing cycle. This allows it to deliver radiation with precise accuracy to accommodate even the slightest movement of a tumor without provider intervention or treatment interruption. By dramatically reducing the planning margins and accounting for patient movement, CyberKnife radiation minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue while targeting tumor cells.
Is CyberKnife radiation right for you?
CyberKnife is used to treat many types of cancerous and noncancerous tumors, including brain, prostate, pancreatic, and lung cancer. It’s particularly useful for treating hard-to-reach or complex tumors that cannot be treated with conventional surgery. Unlike some other types of radiation therapy, patients can have their cancer retreated with CyberKnife radiation.
Your doctors will determine whether CyberKnife treatment is the best option for you based on the location and size of the tumor and your health history, including previous surgeries or radiation therapy. Your desire to avoid conventional surgery may also be a factor.
Penn Medicine uses CyberKnife to treat many tumor types, including:
Three phases of CyberKnife treatment
If you’re being considered for CyberKnife radiation treatment, you’ll meet with a physician within a week of your initial referral. They’ll review your case and discuss treatment options 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.
Recovery from CyberKnife radiation
Your doctor will provide you with a treatment summary and follow-up care plan to monitor the effectiveness of your CyberKnife treatment over time and evaluate you for side effects. Most patients experience minimal or no short-term side effects from CyberKnife treatment and often recover quickly. You may experience mild fatigue or nausea. Some side effects may occur gradually and over time, from days to years after treatment, depending on the medical condition.
It’s important to continue follow-up appointments with your physician to address any short- or long-term side effects and to monitor for signs that further treatment is required. After CyberKnife treatment, some tumors may disappear slower than others or may simply stop growing and present no further cell activity. Your doctor will recommend ways to screen for disease recurrence based on your individual case.
Advanced radiation care you can trust
Your care providers at Penn Medicine are experts in providing advanced radiation treatments like CyberKnife. Our radiation oncologists have national accreditation in their fields, and many are recognized as leaders in radiation treatments, either nationally or internationally. In addition, our doctors specialize in treating specific tumor sites, so you’ll receive care from physicians who treat tumors like yours and have the experience to provide you with the best possible care for your condition.
CyberKnife radiosurgery is one of many advanced radiation treatments offered at Penn Medicine. We combine sophisticated technology, specialized techniques, and years of experience to create effective treatment plans for your unique needs. Our treatments are also informed by the latest research and participation in clinical trials that use groundbreaking techniques to deliver expert care.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.
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