CyberKnife Treatment – Introduction

CyberKnife treatment is a form of radiation therapy that uses high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells. It is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed on an outpatient basis. CyberKnife treatment is an effective and safe alternative to traditional surgery for the treatment of cancer. CyberKnife surgery can be performed in India at some of the leading cancer hospitals. The cost of CyberKnife treatment in India is very affordable and it is a viable option for patients who are looking for an effective and affordable cancer treatment option.

Why Cyberknife?

Radiosurgery reduces radiation exposure to healthy tissues around the tumor. In comparison to other radiosurgical treatments, this numerous advantages to patients, some of which are listed below –

• CyberKnife is a completely robotic radiation therapy module which precisely targets and kills tumours with high doses of radiation in much less time.
• Once you’re diagnosed with a tumor, even simple body movements like breathing or coughing can lead the tumour to change its position slightly. If this happens, then there are high possibilities of linear accelerators missing a section of the tumour or causing injury to nearby organs.
• Therefore, the specialists advise using CyberKnife, as it makes use of real-time imaging as well as auto-adjustment features to realign the radiation beams.This helps in precisely targeting the tumour. This advantage of cyberknife is huge as it causes much lesser damage to the nearby healthy tissues.
• The best hospitals in India for Cyberknife Treatment provide a wide range of cancers, like prostate cancers, brain tumors, liver cancers, lung cancers and pancreatic cancers, etc. Besides these, CyberKnife can also treat non-cancerous medical conditions like trigeminal neuralgia, AV malformations, and a few more functional disorders.
• The most advanced Cyberknife treatment in India is done on an outpatient basis, with each treatment ending between half an hour to 1.5 hours. The frequency of treatment varies depending upon the tumor size, location and shape of the tumor, but usually only 1 to 5 daily sessions are required. This treatment allows patients to lie down comfortably on the procedure table without being given anesthesia while the robotic arms are moving, without touching them, and thus treating all areas of the tumor.

How does Cyberknife work?

• The Cyberknife Approach is one of its kind radiation delivery system that uses a linear accelerator (known as LINAC) which is directly mounted on a robot. It uses beams of high-energy x-rays or photons for giving radiation therapy to the patient.
• The use of real-time image guidance makes it much more precise and also, the robot helps to ensure only the desired dose of radiation gets delivered.
• CyberKnifemakes use of millions of beam angles directed towards the targeted area, thus increasing the accuracy and precision for radiation being delivered anywhere in a patient’s body.
• This treatment approach allows both stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments.
• The robot helps in monitoring the movements.The machine not only moves but also bends around the patient to be able to approach the tumor accurately from hundreds of unique angles.
• This remarkably increases the possible positions to focus radiation on the tumor. One of the greatest benefits is that the precision of this system allows only a minimal dosage of radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissues.

What Conditions can be treated by Cyberknife?

The best hospitals for Cyberknife treatment in India use this system for the treatment of a widespread range of cancers and lesions throughout the human body. These primarily include the following –

• Brain tumors (Intracranial and skull base tumors and lesions)
• Head and Neck (Paranasal sinus and Nasopharynx)
• Lung Cancer
• Kidney and Adrenal gland
• Spine (Thoracic, Cervical, Lumbar and Sacral regions)
• Liver Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Various Sarcomas

Cyberknife Treatment Protocol

Let us also study about the steps that will be involved in your Cyberknife treatment in India –

• Imaging -Your radiologist will conduct a CT scan, before the procedure. These scans are used by the clinical team to find out the shape, size, and location of the tumor and do mapping of the surrounding crucial structures that are needed to be avoided.
• Mask or body mold – Next, a customized soft mask or body mold is made. This helps to minimize your movement during the treatment and ensure that you are lying comfortably. Making of this mold is simple and painless for the patient.
• Fiducial Placement – Your radiologist will use something called fiducial markers, which is basically implantation of gold seeds in treatment of areas other than the brain tumors. It will be done as an outpatient procedure, during which you will implant 3 to 6 seeds in or around the tumor. These seeds help the CyberKnife System in tracking the tumor during treatment.
• Planning – The findings of your CT/MRI scan are fed into the Cyberknife System-planning software program. This advanced software is then used for customizing the delivery of radiation beams precisely through the robot till the tumor throughout your treatment.

During the treatment:

• On the day of the procedure, your doctor will advise you to wear comfortable clothing and put off any jewelry, watch etc.
• You will then be asked to lie down on the treatment table and your customized mask or body mold is fitted to the designated area during the set-up process. You may or may not be given general anesthesia, depending upon your medical condition and ongoing medications.
• After this Radiation delivery was initiated. It is completely a painless procedure and you may even fall asleep during the treatment. Once the radiation session gets completed, your medical team will assess your condition.
• You will then be allowed to go home afterwards and resume your normal routine activity within 24 hours of the procedure.
• Your radiologist may prescribe around 1 to 5 CyberKnife sessions for best treatment results.
• You will be asked to come for a follow-up visit after your procedure. This is done in order to monitor your progress. You will be asked to come with your clinical records including reports of imaging tests.

Cyberknife treatment in India

India is a preferred destination for cancer treatment and all sorts of complex procedures. CyberKnife in India is offered by several hospitals, but the top CyberKnife hospitals in India are certified by both national as well as international accreditation bodies for their excellent standard of clinical care and expertise of the highly skilled and trained doctors and support staff. The doctors at the best Cyberknife hospitals in India cautiously evaluate the patient’s medical conditions and calculate the risk involved, before advising the final treatment line.