CyberKnife kills cancer by delivering highly focused beams of high-dose radiation that damage the DNA of tumor cells. Once their DNA is destroyed, the cancer cells can no longer reproduce or repair themselves, eventually causing them to die and the tumor to shrink.
The system achieves this through several specialized mechanisms:
Robotic Precision: A linear accelerator (radiation machine) is mounted on a flexible robotic arm that can move and bend around the patient. This allows it to deliver radiation from more than 1,200 unique angles.
Convergent Beams: Hundreds of these individual beams are aimed so they intersect precisely at the tumor. While each individual beam is too weak to harm healthy tissue along its path, the point where they all meet receives a lethal, concentrated dose.
Real-Time Tracking: The system uses motion synchronization technology to track the tumor’s position in real-time.
It automatically adjusts the radiation beam for natural body movements, such as breathing or digestion, ensuring the “kill zone” stays locked on the cancer even if it moves slightly.
Vascular Damage: In addition to direct DNA damage, the high doses (ablative doses) used by CyberKnife can damage the blood vessels (endothelial cells) feeding the tumor, causing microvascular dysfunction that further starves and kills the cancer cells.
Because of this extreme accuracy (down to sub-millimeter levels), CyberKnife can deliver much higher doses per session than traditional radiation while sparing surrounding healthy organs. This allows treatment to be completed in just 1 to 5 sessions rather than several weeks.
If you would like to find out more about cancer treatment with CyberKnife call our team of top cancer experts in Miami at the CyberKnife Center of Miami at 305-279-2900.