How CyberKnife works

CyberKnife uses computerized robotic equipment to deliver beams of high-dose radiation with extreme accuracy. Because it is so accurate and it can quickly adjust to the patient's slightest movement or breath, there is very little, if any, damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.

Destroying tumor cells - stopping tumor growth

CyberKnife is a new approach to stereotactic radiosurgery. In general, stereotactic radiosurgery is a non-surgical treatment that uses 3-D imagery to aim multiple radiation beams on a specific location inside the body in order to destroy a tumor. Stereotactic radiosurgery can precisely target tumors and avoid damage to the surrounding healthy tissue and structures. Unlike surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery destroys the tumor cells and stops the growth of the tumor without removing it. Some stereotactic radiosurgery, such as Gamma Knife for some brain tumors, requires the patient be secured to special frame to ensure he or she remains perfectly still during the treatment. CyberKnife's pioneering technology offers all of the advantages of stereotactic radiosurgery, without the need to have the patient secured to a frame to control movement.

Creating personalized treatment plans

Before treatment begins, the CyberKnife computer uses a CT scan (and possibly MRI and PET scans) to create a 3-D image that precisely locates the tumor. The CyberKnife-certified radiation oncologist and medical physicist use the CyberKnife treatment planning computer to evaluate the unique shape, size and location of the tumor, as well as the tissue and structures that need to be protected. The result is a personalized treatment plan for each patient that prescribes how much radiation will be used and how each beam of radiation will target the tumor.

Delivering radiation with pin-point accuracy

Throughout the treatment, image guidance cameras [1] automatically locate and track the position of the tumor, and the system automatically corrects for any patient or tumor movement. During the procedure the patient lies comfortably on the table while the computer-controlled robotic arm [2] moves around the patient and the X-ray machine delivers converged beams of radiation to precisely defined areas from a variety of angles and multiple positions. The CyberKnife system uses a high-energy X-ray machine [3] on the robotic arm to deliver the radiation beams that will kill the tumor cells.

Targeting tumors from virtually any angle

The robotic arm is very flexible, which provides pin-point accuracy from virtually any direction. CyberKnife can treat tumors that cannot be treated by surgery or other radiation therapies, or cannot be treated without damaging surrounding tissue and structures.

Synchronizing to patient and tumor movement

The Seattle CyberKnife Center has the most current CyberKnife technology that employs the Synchrony Tracking System to synchronize radiation beam delivery to the motion of the tumor. This tracking system eliminates the need for breath-holding techniques, or head or body frames, to stabilize patient movements. Throughout the treatment, image guidance cameras automatically locate and track the position of the tumor, and the system automatically corrects for any patient or tumor movement. This highly sophisticated technology is particularly beneficial in the treatment of lung, liver, pancreas, kidney and other abdominal or thoracic tumors that move when the patient breathes.
The level of accuracy available with CyberKnife translates to a more comfortable treatment experience for the patient and greatly improved treatment results.