Radiation therapy isn’t a new form of cancer treatment. However, a lot has changed since this form of therapy first appeared in the early 1900s — especially when the CyberKnife® system came on the scene in 1994.
CyberKnife technology can handle even the most complex cancer treatments — including those in the brain and spine — more accurately and less invasively than traditional forms of radiation therapy. And it often requires fewer treatments.
Dr. Arien Smith uses CyberKnife to treat lesions and tumors in the spinal cord and spinal column at Brain and Spine Institute of New York and New Jersey. Here’s how CyberKnife destroys abnormal cells if you have tumors or lesions.
The heart of the CyberKnife system is a robot with real-time image guidance, which enables it to locate treatment areas all over the body with unmatched precision.
The robot technology locks on and follows the lesion or tumor, delivering radiation treatment from multiple angles with a linear accelerator, even if the patient breathes, coughs, or has fluids or gas moving within their system.
The linear accelerator, or linac, is a device on top of the robot that delivers the high-energy electrons required to destroy abnormal cells, lesions, and tumors.
When in action, the robot and linear accelerator can move all over the body, giving it the flexibility to treat even the most hard-to-reach places. Greater precision means it can deliver more accurate and concentrated amounts of energy to the treatment site, destroying tumors but reducing radiation exposure to healthy tissue at the same time.
This novel technology enables Dr. Smith to treat many tumors in 1-5 sessions with the CyberKnife, even surgically complex or inoperable growths.
Dr. Smith uses CyberKnife to treat numerous tumors in the spinal column and spinal cord, whether noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). In fact, it can successfully treat many forms of cancer in the body, including metastatic tumors that start elsewhere and spread to the spine.
When you have CyberKnife treatment, you just lie back on the treatment table and relax while waiting for the robotic arm to move into position. Once it detects the tumor or lesion, it starts delivering radiation without touching your body.
CyberKnife treatments last anywhere from 30-90 minutes, and you go home afterward. They don’t require any anesthesia because they’re completely painless. And, unlike other tumor treatments, CyberKnife usually causes few, if any, side effects, so you can often resume your favorite activities immediately after treatment.
Are you curious to learn if CyberKnife can destroy your tumor? Contact Brain and Spine Institute of New York and New Jersey to schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith today.
