The CyberKnife System routinely treats both benign and malignant brain tumors. Despite its name, CyberKnife does not involve any actual cutting.
It is a non-invasive type of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) that delivers highly focused beams of radiation directly to a tumor with sub-millimeter precision.
Types of Brain Conditions Treated Primary Brain Tumors: Both cancerous and non-cancerous types, such as gliomas or meningiomas.
Brain Metastases: Cancerous tumors that have spread to the brain from other areas of the body, such as the lungs or breasts.
Acoustic Neuromas: Non-cancerous tumors developing on the hearing and balance nerves.
Pituitary Adenomas: Benign tumors growing on the pituitary gland.
Non-Tumor Conditions: Neurological vascular abnormalities like arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and nerve disorders like trigeminal neuralgia.
Key Benefits of CyberKnife for Brain Tumors: Unlike other radiosurgery systems – such as the Gamma Knife – the CyberKnife system does not require patients to be fitted with a rigid and invasive head frame and is done on an outpatient basis.
In the set-up stage, the radiation therapist will create a soft mesh mask that is custom fitted to the patient’s face. This comfortable and non-invasive mask helps keep the patient’s head and neck still during treatment.
CyberKnife also uses real-time imaging and a robotic arm to track and adjust for minor head movements automatically.
Sparing Healthy Tissue: The sub-millimeter precision minimizes radiation exposure to surrounding healthy brain tissue, protecting cognitive functions like memory and speech.
Fewer Sessions: Instead of weeks of daily conventional radiation, CyberKnife treatments are usually completed as outpatient procedures in just 1 to 5 sessions.
Access to Hard-to-Reach Areas: The flexibility of the robotic arm allows it to target complex or inoperable deep-brain tumors from thousands of different angles.
The CyberKnife will move slowly around you during treatment and you won’t feel a thing. It’s completely pain free. Patients dress comfortably in their own clothes and can bring music to listen to during treatment. Nothing will be required of the patient, except relaxation. In fact, patients often sleep through the treatment.
There are generally only minimal side effects from CyberKnife treatments, which may include mild headache and fatigue.
Keep in mind that the brain tumor will not suddenly disappear. In fact, it could take several weeks or longer for the full effect of the treatment to be known.
Response to treatment varies from patient to patient. Clinical experience has shown that most brain cancer patients respond very well to CyberKnife treatments.
CyberKnife radiosurgery has been used for more than three decades with extremely high rates of tumor control, and most patients are good candidates for treatment.
If you have been told you have a brain tumor, you owe it to yourself to call CyberKnife Miami at (800) 204-0455 to see if you might be a candidate for CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery.