If cancer treatment could be quicker and less invasive, those diagnosed could suffer a lot less, according to the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center’s Louisville CyberKnife.
The CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System is a nonsurgical, outpatient treatment that treats cancerous and noncancerous tumors throughout the body with minimal to no side effects. CyberKnife is able to deliver very high doses of radiation with extreme accuracy, which allows physicians to zero in on the target tumor and irradiate it without harming the surrounding healthy tissue. As a result, CyberKnife treatment is more comfortable for patients, radiation is delivered more accurately, and treatments can be completed in one to five sessions.
It’s more accurate than most radiation machines. It spares the surrounding tissue to unnecessary radiation...
After a patient comes in for a consultation with a radiation oncologist, they undergo a CT scan, which helps the physicist, and radiation oncologist build the patient’s individualized treatment plan. During treatment, the patient lies on a table under a compact linear accelerator, a machine that generates a radiation beam, attached to a highly maneuverable robotic arm that moves around their body, delivering high levels of radiation directly to their tumor for 30 to 90 minutes.
Instead of 40 treatments of traditional radiation therapy, Christy Stone, Administrator at Louisville Cyberknife, says CyberKnife only takes one to five treatments. After treatment, patients are able to go home and go about their day as normal and come back every other day until the treatment concludes.
“It’s more accurate than most radiation machines,” Christy says. “It spares the surrounding tissue to unnecessary radiation and the patient is not here as long with hardly any side effects.” CyberKnife is noninvasive and does not require anesthesia. It also helps those suffering from noncancerous diseases such as acoustic neuroma, trigeminal neuralgia, and arteriovenous malformation. Treatment may be a good option for those who have medically inoperable or surgically complex tumors, or those who seek an alternative to surgery or conventional radiation therapy. Those who have recurrent cancer or metastatic tumors that have spread to other areas of the body from the main tumor site, or have a high risk for complications after surgery, may also benefit.
Want to know more about CyberKnife? Go to www.louisvilleck.com/contact-us for more details and information today.
