CyberKnife treatment process

At the Seattle CyberKnife Center our goal is to provide patients the very best CyberKnife treatment experience possible and to limit the effect treatment has on their daily lives. Your CyberKnife team will include many specially trained health-care professionals and administrative staff.

Treatment at the Seattle CyberKnife Center begins with our promise to you:

• You are the most important team member.
• You are at the center of our team.
• We will discuss the treatment with you so you will know what to expect.
• We will keep your personal health-care provider and/or specialist informed about your treatment and progress.
• Most importantly, we will treat you with compassion, respect and kindness.

Four basic CyberKnife treatment steps

CyberKnife treatment involves four basic steps.

Our Scheduler will work closely with you to find a convenient time for your first appointment for an initial consultation. During this 60-90 minute appointment, you will meet with the radiation oncologist to discuss the best treatment option for your particular situation. The radiation oncology nurse will talk with you about your medical history and perform a clinical assessment. We will also discuss other treatments you have had previously.

Our Financial Counselor will verify your insurance coverage and, if it's required, will request pre-authorization. This is also a good time for you to contact your insurance company to ask them how much of the bill your health insurance will cover, and how much will be your responsibility.
 Read more about insurance and billing for CyberKnife.

1. As soon as your insurance company has authorized the treatment, our Scheduler will contact you to make an appointment for a CT scan to determine the size, shape and location of the tumor. The Scheduler will also arrange for MRI and/or PET scans if your doctor requires them to fully visualize the tumor and nearby critical anatomy. Treatment for tumors in some parts of the body may require additional preparations, which will also be scheduled at this time.

2. Using the CyberKnife System's treatment planning computer, the Radiation Oncologist will identify the tumor's exact size, shape and location, and the Medical Physicist will create a personalized treatment plan that will provide the desired radiation dose to the correct location while avoiding damage to the surrounding health tissue.

Definitions:
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a type of imaging that uses magnetism and radio waves, rather than radiation, to create images of the inside of the body. The scanner is shaped like a tube. The patient lies on a table that moves through the scanner. That information collected by the scanner is sent to a computer to create very clear, highly detailed images of the inside of the body.

The PET scan (positron emission tomography scan) is an imaging process that uses a short-lived radioactive substance to track body functions. While it is extremely good at recognizing tumor activity and identifying the tumor's location, a PET scan does not measure the size of the tumor.

A CT scan (computerized tomography scan) is an imaging process that uses about the same amount of radiation as a traditional X-ray, but produces images that are 100 times clearer. As the scanner rotates 180 degrees around the patient, it collects information that is sent to a computer. The computer converts that information into a two-dimensional image of the soft tissue and structures inside the body. The CT scan is also referred to as a CAT (computerized axial tomography) scan.

1. When your personalized treatment plan has been prepared, the Scheduler will contact you to make an appointment for your treatment.

2. The Patient Services Coordinator will greet you when you arrive for your treatment appointment.

3. Wearing your street clothes, you will lie comfortably on the treatment table listening to music. You will breathe normally.

4. The CyberKnife arm will move around you as you lie on the table. It will deliver concentrated beams of radiation to the tumor from multiple positions and angles according to your treatment plan.

5. When your treatment is finished, you will be able to leave immediately and return to your regular activities.

6. This process will be followed during each of your treatment visits.

1. Our Patient Services Coordinator will arrange follow-up appointments one, three, six, nine and 12 months after your last treatment so we can follow your progress.

2. Also during the months following your treatments, we will schedule CT, MRI and/or PET scans to assess the tumor's response to the radiation treatment.

CyberKnifre Treatment Process Overview (PDF)