The CyberKnife System is the only device designed to accommodate all forms of patient and tumor movement during radiation therapy treatment.
Tumor movement occurs as the result of normal body functions, including regular breathing, filling of the bladder, or gas in the bowel can shift the tumor by a centimeter or more. The patient could change their position or move their head, even slightly. The patient could cough. Muscles tense and relax.
All these things make it challenging for radiation beams to accurately stay on target and could result in under-or-over-dosing of the tumor. CyberKnife was designed specifically to prevent this problem!
Being able to constantly and precisely deliver pinpoint radiation doses to the target site while movement occurs, makes a difference in terms of controlling and killing the cancer, and reducing the risk of side effects at the same time.
Too much radiation may increase the risk of side effects while too little may reduce the effectiveness of the treatment.
Tracking the tumor’s movement — and synchronizing the delivery of radiation while movement occurs, and it does occur during treatment, helps to maximize treatment effectiveness, while minimizing dose to surrounding tissues, which reduces the risk of side effects.
With its motion adaptive delivery technology, the CyberKnife System also enables smaller treatment margins around the tumor, again minimizing the amount of healthy tissue and vital nearby organs exposed to high-doses of radiation.
CyberKnife is best used for small, precise, and moving tumors, particularly in the brain, spine, lungs, prostate, and liver. It acts more like a “robotic scalpel” for inoperable or complex tumors.
In many cases CyberKnife can replace the scalpel, eliminating the need for surgery which often require long and difficult recovery times.
Saying CyberKnife has revolutionized cancer treatment is not an overstatement! Call the CyberKnife Center of Miami to find out if we can help you beat cancer in a kinder, gentler, safer, faster and more effective way at 305-279-2900.