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CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System : First in the UK
New medical technology available to patients of HCA hospitals in London - February 2009
When would patients need to be treated by a CyberKnife®?
The CyberKnife system offers new hope to patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumours, or who may be looking for an alternative to surgery for treating many small tumours and a few other select medical disorders. Unlike other radiosurgery systems, which are primarily used for head cancers, the CyberKnife can deliver radiosurgery to any part of the body
Indications
Cancer tumours of the brain, spine, lung, liver, pancreas, kidney and prostate
Description
It is a compact linear accelerator (used to direct high doses of radiation to a target) mounted onto a robotic arm, designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body
What does radiotherapy with a CyberKnife® involve?
The CyberKnife system delivers multiple beams of high-dose radiation to tumours with sub-millimetre accuracy, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. It is able to continuously track, detect and correct for tumour and patient movement throughout the treatment.
Safety
Because of its extreme precision, the radiation doses used for treatment are calculated to be safe and effective.
How is it administered?
The patient lies on a moveable treatment table and the robotic arm moves around them.
Average duration of treatment
Treatments can be delivered in single or multiple sessions (typically two to five), at the patient's convenience. Each session generally ranges from 30 to 90 minutes depending on the dosage and the complexity of the tumour
Supporting evidence
An estimated 40,000 + patients have been treated with the CyberKnife system worldwide.
What it's replacing/is it additional?
It can be used for patients that wouldn't have previously been considered for radiotherapy. For brain tumours, the CyberKnife system is an alternative option to the Gamma Knife.
Benefits
The CyberKnife is a non-invasive and is a pain-free alternative to surgery with minimal side effects. Treatment can be given as an outpatient procedure with little or no recovery time and the patient can immediately return to normal activities. The CyberKnife® is able to target multiple tumours at different locations during a single treatment. It is able to non-invasively detect and correct for tumour and patient movement throughout the treatment. This results in minimal damage to surrounding tissue and eliminates the need for tracking implants or invasive head or body frames to stabilize patients as typically used with conventional radiosurgery systems.
FDA status and CE mark
Accuray received FDA clearance to introduce enhancements to the CyberKnife system for the treatment of tumours anywhere in the body in 2001, and in 2002 in Europe.
For more information
www.accuray.com
