CyberKnife Brochure - Cardiothoracic Surgery of Charleston

CyberKnife
RadioSurgery
Patient’s Guide
Your CyberKnife Team
CyberKnife treatment utlilizes a team
approach where medical experts
collaborate with you as their central
focus. Team members may include your
surgeon, radiation oncologist, medical
oncologist, physicist and others within
the hospital.
More Information
on CyberKnife
Only 76 in the World. And 1 at Roper Hospital.
The CyberKnife Society, a coalition of
doctors and affiliated healthcare
professionals specializing in CyberKnife
radiosurgery, has a website at
www.cksociety.org that provides extensive
patient information. In addition, you
can contact other patients who have
undergone CyberKnife treatment
through the CyberKnife Patient Support
Group at www.cyberknifesupport.org.
The manufacturer’s website,
www.accuray.com is another good
resource.
More information on
CyberKnife at Roper Hospital
If you have any questions about
your CyberKnife treatment or
would like to schedule a
consultation please call us at
(843) 402-CARE.
Cyberknife Center Coordinator
(843) 724-2143
Radiation Oncology Department
(843) 724-2140
Visit our website
www.rsfh.org/cyberknife
Roper St. Francis
Radiation Oncology
316 Calhoun Street
Charleston, SC 29401
A Simple, Painless Outpatient Treatment Process
B
Welcome to Roper St. Francis Cancer
Center. We are proud to be the only
facility in the state of South Carolina and
one of only 76 in the world to offer this
revolutionary cancer treatment.
What is CyberKnife
RadioSurgery?
Is CyberKnife
Clinically Proven?
CyberKnife is a non-invasive
alternative to surgery for the treatment
of tumors anywhere in the body. The
treatment delivers high doses of
radiation to tumors with extreme
accuracy, offering new hope to patients
who have inoperable or surgically
complex tumors.
CyberKnife is based on radiation
technology that has been proven for
over 30 years. Thousands of patients
have successfully received CyberKnife
treatments world-wide.
How Does
CyberKnife Work?
T4 Accuracy – CyberKnife is the only
radiosurgery treatment system available
with T4 or “Tight to the Tumor” submillimeter accuracy (within the width
of a hair). This means that the tumor
receives the radiation while the healthy
tissue nearby is spared.
CyberKnife combines two very
advanced technologies to target
tumors and is the most accurate
radiation treatment system in the
world. CyberKnife uses an advanced
image-guidance system to track and
verify tumor location. In addition, a
multi-jointed robotic arm that
provides the highest level of
maneuverability available. The flexible
robotic arm, along with the imageguidance system, makes it possible to
access tumors that were previously
unreachable.
What Makes CyberKnife
So Unique?
Flexible – By delivering radiation
beams from virtually unlimited
positions, the CyberKnife system can
treat tumors anywhere in the body
from any angle, including the brain,
spine, lung, liver, pancreas and prostate.
100% Frameless – CyberKnife does
not require the use of a painful
headframe to prevent patient
movement during treatment. The
image-guidance system and robotic
arm are designed to compensate for
patient movement.
Quality of Life – The simple
outpatient CyberKnife procedure
allows patients to undergo their
treatment and resume normal daily
activities.
Step 1: Treatment Setup Fiducial Placement –
If you are undergoing CyberKnife treatment for a spinal or
body (non-head) lesion, you may require a short outpatient
procedure to implant several small metal markers (fiducials)
near the tumor to enable the CyberKnife to track tumor
position throughout treatment.
Making a Mask or Body Mold – A custom soft mask (for
head/neck treatments) or body mold is formed and used to
help minimize movement during the treatment to ensure
your comfort. The process is simple and painless.
Imaging – Prior to CyberKnife treatment, a CT, MRI or
PET scan is performed to determine the size, shape and
location of the tumor.
Step 2: Treatment Planning
The CT, MRI or PET scan data is downloaded to the CyberKnife treatment
planning computer. Doctors will use advanced software to customize the number,
intensity and direction of radiation beams the robot will send to the target. You
do not need to be present during this step.
Step 3: Treatment Delivery
Arriving for Treatment – Wear comfortable clothing and no jewelry. You are
also welcome to bring a favorite CD to listen to during treatment. And most
importantly, try to relax knowing this will be a painless procedure.
During Treatment – During a CyberKnife procedure you will lie comfortably on
the treatment table, which automatically positions you. The treatment generally
lasts between 30 and 90 minutes and is typically completed in one to five visits.
Following Treatment – You will leave the CyberKnife suite and usually resume
normal activity shortly after treatment.
Step 4: Follow Up
Follow up – Follow up imaging is performed in the months after treatment to
assess the tumor’s response to the radiation.