CyberKnife Radiosurgery: What it is and How it Works

18 April,2024

Cancer has become one of the most fatal diseases in today's time. The disease is responsible for claiming millions of lives each year. However, with advancements in medical technology, the treatment modalities for cancer have also increased. While surgery, radiation, and chemo remain the primary treatments for cancer, there are various additions to how these treatments are given.

The CyberKnife® System is revolutionizing cancer treatment in multiple nations, including India. It's a type of radiation therapy that can reach body areas previously thought unreachable. It is ideally suited for patients who cannot undergo surgery.

Are you excited to learn more? Read this blog, and you will get all the necessary information about CyberKnife and how it helps cancer patients beat the disease.

What is CyberKnife?

CyberKnife is a noninvasive way of killing benign and malignant tumors. It uses SRBT—stereotactic body radiation therapy—to deliver precise doses of radiation anywhere in the body.

Precise targeting of radiations is possible due to the image-guided linear accelerator on the robotic arm and motion synchronization technology. In simple words, the CyberKnife System can detect the movement of tumors in real time and adjust the beams accordingly.

• The CyberKnife is a medical technology that treats various body conditions, such as prostate, head and neck, liver, lung, brain, spine, pancreas, and kidney cancers. 
• It can substitute for surgery or patients with inoperable or surgically complex tumors. 
• Typically, CyberKnife treatments are completed in 1 to 5 sessions. The CyberKnife System has been clinically tested for over 20 years and has helped millions of cancer patients worldwide.
• The robotic arm's broad range of movement makes treatment possible for areas of the body, such as the spine and spinal cord, which other radiosurgery techniques can't treat.
• The system offers sub-millimeter accuracy, reducing the risk of side effects.

How Does CyberKnife Treatment Work?

CyberKnife is a non-surgical solution that destroys tumors by aiming radiation beams at them from multiple directions while sparing healthy tissues. The treatment process of CyberKnife can be divided into three steps – Planning, Setup, and Delivery. 

Setup

• The patient undergoes imaging tests, such as CT scans and sometimes MRIs, to help the doctor know the tumor's size, shape, and location. 
• Next, the patient receives a custom body mold or soft mask to help minimize body movements during the treatment.
• The healthcare team then implants 2-6 gold seeds or fiducial markers around the tumor. These markers help CyberKnife System to track tumor movements.

Planning

• The healthcare team will enter your previously obtained CT scan data into the CyberKnife treatment-planning computer.
• The oncologists use advanced software to customize the dose of radiation beams that the robot will deliver to the tumor during your treatment. 
• Your presence is optional during this step.

Delivery

• On the day of treatment, you will lie on a table and will be fitted with the body mold or mask custom-made for you earlier during the setup process. 
• You might receive a mild sedative to help you relax, along with any other medication that you may need during treatment.
• You will need to lie still during the treatment process. You may sleep during the procedure. 
• The CyberKnife session length will vary depending on the tumor's location and size. 
• Using a linear accelerator, a robotic arm aims high-powered radiation beams directly at the tumor site from over 1,400 angles.
• The image guidance system compares X-rays to CT scans and ensures that the radiation accurately targets the tumor.
• Once you complete the treatment session, the nursing staff will assess you. After the nursing assessment, you can go home and resume everyday activity within 24 hours. 
• Your physician will prescribe 1 to 5 treatments. Depending on the treatment site, they might insert rest days between the treatment days to maximize your healing.

What are the Conditions Treated Using CyberKnife?

CyberKnife radiosurgery is commonly used to treat complex and inoperable tumors. It is an excellent substitute for patients who cannot or do not want to undergo surgery. Oncologists also recommend it for patients with tumors in sensitive or hard-to-reach places.

Common diseases that doctors treat using the CyberKnife System are – 

• Brain, Spine, and Skull-Base Tumors: Brain and spinal tumor patients don’t need to wear a surgically attached head frame during the CyberKnife radiosurgery. Instead, they are provided with a lightweight, custom-made, open-frame mask, which is much more comfortable and convenient.
• Head and Neck Cancer: CyberKnife is a good option for people with cancer of the eyes, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, tongue, windpipe, salivary glands, larynx, and other sites in the head and neck.
• Lung Cancer: As you know, the lungs are never still as a person breathes constantly. Hence, CyberKnife is an excellent treatment modality for early-stage lung cancer and patients with high surgical risk or with severe emphysema.
• Pancreatic Cancer: Like the lungs, the pancreas moves as you breathe. Moreover, pancreatic cancer is difficult to remove, and there is always a chance of damaging the nearby healthy tissues during treatment. Therefore, pancreatic cancer patients are also good candidates for CyberKnife radiosurgery.
• Prostate Cancer: Prostate cancer that is confined to the organ and seminal vesicles can be treated using the CyberKnife System. For prostate cancer, only 5 CyberKnife treatment sessions are required, compared to 40 or more sessions when using traditional radiation techniques.
• Metastatic Cancer: When initial cancers spread to other body parts such as lungs or bones, they are known as metastatic cancers. Such cancers are always challenging to treat. CyberKnife can successfully eradicate malignant and benign tumors anywhere in the body.
• Trigeminal Neuralgia: Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful neurological disorder characterized by sudden electrical shock-like pain on one side of the face. During CyberKnife treatment, radiation beams are delivered to the trigeminal nerve with pinpoint accuracy to dull the pain. It is a noninvasive procedure and does not require a hospital stay. The entire treatment is a single 45-minute session.

What are the Benefits of CyberKnife?

CyberKnife System offers several advantages over traditional radiation techniques. It is impossible to hold your breath while receiving any treatment. CyberKnife has an added advantage because its precision is not affected by regular body movements such as breathing or coughing while receiving the therapy. Other benefits are – 

• It is a noninvasive and nonsurgical procedure that causes no pain.
• No intrusive head frame is required in CyberKnife treatment.
• The need for general anesthesia is infrequent during CyberKnife radiosurgery.
• The radiation treatment can be completed in as little as 1 to 5 sessions planned over 1-2 weeks.
• The patients receiving CyberKnife treatment continue to live their everyday lives during and after the procedure.
• It is a daycare procedure, and the patient need not to be hospitalized.
• It does not interrupt the ongoing chemotherapy cycles or immunotherapy treatments.
• CyberKnife radiosurgery offers unmatched accuracy and does not harm the nearby tissues.
• Recovery after CyberKnife is immediate, and there are fewer therapy-related complications.

What is the Cost of CyberKnife Treatment?

CyberKnife treatment has brought a ray of hope among many individuals battling cancer. It is a painless procedure that can manage various kinds of tumors throughout the body. The cost of CyberKnife treatment in the US and UK averages around USD 15,000 to USD 30,000. 

The high prices can be burdensome for some people. However, you don’t need to be disheartened. Various countries—India, Germany, Turkey, and others—offer CyberKnife Systems at affordable prices.

The cost of CyberKnife radiosurgery in India ranges from USD 4,000 to USD 7,000. The cost of treatment varies according to the type of cancer and the number of sessions required. Contact an expert radiation oncologist who can guide you through the process and the costs.

Outlook

CyberKnife has transformed cancer treatment. This noninvasive alternative to surgery offers benefits over standard procedures, like greater accuracy, shorter treatment times, and fewer side effects. CyberKnife combines cutting-edge robotic technology with the expertise of highly trained medical professionals, resulting in high patient satisfaction. If you or someone you care about is fighting cancer or a tumor, consider CyberKnife as an option. It provides a new approach to cancer treatment that is more effective and does not require any cuts.