Treatment FAQ

why cyberknife treatment of lung cancer and not surgery

by Miss Antonette Schaden III Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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CyberKnife Radiation Therapy is a non-surgical, alternative lung cancer treatment to surgery and is 90% effective in controlling and killing early lung cancer’s. Success rates for traditional radiation is less than half that. CyberKnife Radiosurgery

Radiosurgery

Radiosurgery is surgery using radiation, that is, the destruction of precisely selected areas of tissue using ionizing radiation rather than excision with a blade. Like other forms of radiation therapy, it is usually used to treat cancer. Radiosurgery was originally defined by the Swedish neurosurgeon L…

is also excellent for patients who are not good surgery candidates.

CyberKnife also provides excellent clinical outcomes for patients with inoperable peripheral lung tumors1, 4, 5. A pooled analysis of two randomized trials indicates that lung SBRT is better tolerated and might lead to better overall survival compared to surgery for operable early-stage lung cancer6.

Full Answer

How does CyberKnife treat lung cancer?

 · Robert was diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer in both lungs and suffered from COPD, also known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease which greatly diminishes normal breathing. For patients like Robert, surgery is not an option, however CyberKnife Radiation Therapy is very effective at treating the disease.

Is SBRT and Cyberknife the same thing?

 · CyberKnife Radiation Therapy is a non-surgical, alternative lung cancer treatment to surgery and is 90% effective in controlling and killing early lung cancer’s. Success rates for traditional radiation is less than half that. CyberKnife Radiosurgery is also excellent for patients who are not good surgery candidates.

How successful is CyberKnife treatment?

The CyberKnife System is a non-invasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors and other conditions where radiation therapy is indicated. It is used to treat conditions throughout the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, head and neck, liver, pancreas and kidney, and can be an alternative to surgery or for patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors.

What are the side effects of CyberKnife?

CyberKnife® radiosurgery effectively addresses all of the technical limitations of standard radiotherapy, resulting in a very sophisticated method to deliver a far more biologically potent dose of radiation to an early stage lung cancer, with surgical precision. Briefly, these include: Increased Dose of Radiation

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Is surgery better than radiation for lung cancer?

While surgery is still the gold standard for lung cancer treatment, radiation therapy can offer a less invasive approach with quicker recovery times.

What are some advantages of the CyberKnife?

Take a look at the benefits of CyberKnife:Pain free.No incisions.No anesthesia.Outpatient procedure.Little to no recovery time.Treats a variety of tumors and cancers.Five treatments or fewer.Experienced physicians.

What is the success rate of CyberKnife for lung cancer?

A multicenter retrospective study analyzed the data of 56 clinical patients treated with CyberKnife. It was observed that the actuarial 2-year local tumor control of patients who received a biologically effective dose >100 Gy was 85%, and the 3-year cancer-specific survival of NSCLC patients was 80% (15).

Is CyberKnife the same as robotic surgery?

Robotic radiosurgery, also branded as CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery, is not robotic surgery. Developed by Accuray, a radiation oncology company, FDA-approved CyberKnife involves no cutting at all, but rather is radiation for the treatment of cancer.

Is CyberKnife better than surgery?

In many clinical situations, CyberKnife has local control and effectiveness that is equivalent to surgery. However, due to its non-invasive nature, the risk of side effects is significantly lower with CyberKnife. 2. Real-time tumor tracking results in less radiation to the nearby normal tissues.

Is CyberKnife considered surgery?

CyberKnife, also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), is a non-surgical solution which destroys tumors by aiming beams of radiation at them from multiple directions while sparing healthy tissues.

Can CyberKnife cure lung cancer?

But this advanced treatment technology is not new; the CyberKnife System has more than two decades of clinical evidence and has helped thousands of patients diagnosed with lung tumors and metastases. The CyberKnife System is used to treat a wide range of lung cancers, including even the most complicated cases.

What are the side effects of CyberKnife treatment for lung cancer?

Potential side effects of CyberKnife® treatment for lung cancerFatigue.Breathing difficulties.Cough.Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)Radiation pneumonitis.Radiation fibrosis.Complications (such as pneumothorax) resulting from fiducial marker insertion.Exposure to airways and/or nearby tissue.

What is the difference between radiation and CyberKnife?

Cyberknife Is More Accurate Than Traditional Radiation Therapy. Because it's able to target diseased tissue, Cyberknife SBRT is much more accurate than traditional radiation therapy. SBRT can deliver radiation to a margin of one to five millimeters surrounding a tumor.

Who is a candidate for CyberKnife?

Who is a Candidate for Treatment? Cyberknife is typically used for patients with: Early-stage disease. Localized disease (confined to the prostate).

How successful is CyberKnife treatment?

In a clinical study of 333 patients using the CyberKnife System to treat tumor metastases to the brain, more than 85 percent of evaluable patients achieved local tumor control at two years post treatment2.

Which is better CyberKnife or proton therapy?

The accuracy (tissue margin) with Proton Therapy is 20 to 30 millimeters, as compared to only 1 to 5 millimeters with CyberKnife. The number of radiation beams with proton therapy is 2-3, as compared to 100-200+ beams with CyberKnife.

What is SBRT in cancer?

SBRT systems like the CyberKnife use missile guided technology so they can follow the tumor as the patient breathes normally, targeting and hitting only the tumor site, leaving surrounding healthy tissue unharmed greatly reducing the risk of side effects.

How many sessions of treatment for a tumor?

Depending on the size, stage and location of the tumor, the number of treatment sessions can vary but usually require only 1-to-5. During treatment, patients lay comfortably on the CyberKnife table, in their own clothes and listen to music.

Can you use a cyberknife for lung cancer?

Treating Lung Cancer with CyberKnife. Lung Cancer can be very difficult to treat. Many patients are older and not strong enough to risk surgery to remove lung tumors, which limits their treatment options. This was the case for 69-year-old Robert Tumanic.

Does Cyberknife work?

If they do, they subside quickly. CyberKnife’s extremely precise targeting capability allows the device to deliver higher doses of radiation in far fewer treatments than traditional radiation therapy with a success rate of 90% or higher.

Does Cyberknife have side effects?

Every patient is unique and therefore so are their results. However, most patients do not experience any side effects following CyberKnife treatment.

Can radiation be used for breast cancer?

Radiation for breast cancer can be used as a stand-alone treatment and sometimes it’s combined with other therapies like surgery and chemotherapy. The CyberKnife Center of Miami wants you to know you have choices when it comes to your breast cancer treatment plan. ...

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The word cancer can be scary. The diagnosis of cancer can be downright devastating. While sometimes there are no symptoms with certain cancers, other times the symptoms are hiding in plain sight. The cancer experts at CyberKnife Miami have compiled a list of... Read More.

Is lung cancer a death sentence?

Being diagnosed with lung cancer is terrifying, but it doesn’t have to be a death sentence any more.

Is Cyberknife radiation therapy effective?

CyberKnife Radiation Therapy is a non-surgical, alternative lung cancer treatment to surgery and is 90% effective in controlling and killing early lung cancer’s.

Is Cyberknife radiosurgery good?

CyberKnife Radiosurgery is also excellent for patients who are not good surgery candidates.

What is a cyberknife?

The CyberKnife System is the only radiation delivery system which features a linear accelerator (linac) directly mounted on a robot to deliver the high-energy x-rays or photons used in radiation therapy.

What is cyberknife system?

The CyberKnife System is a non-invasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors and other conditions where radiation therapy is indicated. It is used to treat conditions throughout the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, head and neck, liver, pancreas and kidney, and can be an alternative to surgery or for patients who have ...

How does radiation help cancer patients?

Being able to precisely and accurately deliver radiation makes a difference in terms of controlling cancer and reducing the risk of side effects. But tumor or patient movement as a result of normal body functions, including regular breathing, filling of the bladder, or gas in the bowel can shift the tumor by a centimeter or more, which can make it challenging to accurately target the radiation and result in under- or over-dosing of the tumor. Too much radiation may increase the risk of side effects while too little may reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. Tracking the tumor’s movement — and synchronizing the delivery of radiation with that movement — helps to maximize treatment effectiveness, while minimizing dose to surrounding tissues, which can help reduce the incidence of side effects.

What is the treatment for cancer?

Radiation therapy is a treatment option for many types of tumors throughout the body. Precise and accurate delivery of radiation to the tumor is key to killing cancerous cells while minimizing dose to healthy tissues. Accurate and precise delivery helps minimize irradiation of the healthy tissues surrounding tumors and potentially the risk of side effects, which may lead to better quality of life for the patient both during and after treatment.

How does tracking target movement help with radiation?

Tracking target movement — and synchronizing the delivery of radiation with that movement — helps to maximize treatment effectiveness, while minimizing dose to surrounding tissues, which can help reduce the incidence of side effects.

What is a cyberknife?

The CyberKnife® device is the only radiosurgery or radiotherapy device that tracks and treats a moving cancer throughout the entire breathing cycle (15) . This enables an even smaller margin of normal tissue around the cancer to be treated, increasing the safety of treatment.

How does Cyberknife work?

The CyberKnife® device treats a lung cancer from up to several hundred different directions, all designed on the computer to intersect through the cancer volume, compared with 2-6 directions using “conventional” radiotherapy. Because the CyberKnife® radiation beams come from so many different directions, there is very little radiation dose to normal tissues far away from the cancer target area, again increasing the safety of the treatment, even as its power against the cancer itself is increased, due to the extreme concentration of radiation dose within the target cancer itself.

What is the treatment for stage 3 lung cancer?

The primary treatment for more advanced lung cancer patients (stage III) usually consists of chemotherapy and radiotherapy (8,9). There is also evidence that surgery added to the treatment regimen may further increase the disease-free survival (20), although this represents a very aggressive treatment approach with an added risk of complications, and is not considered the standard of care for all stage III patients.

What is the term for a disease that spreads to the lungs?

Metastatic Disease to Lungs. The lungs serve as a common site of secondary spread (known as metastatic disease, or metastases) for a wide variety of primary cancers, including colorectal cancer, upper gastrointestinal cancers, kidney cancer, sarcomas (primary soft tissue or bone cancers) and pediatric cancers.

How does lung cancer move?

Lung cancers actually move along a sometimes variable and unpredictable path during the respiratory cycle, sometimes moving several centimeters or more (9) . To compensate for this breathing motion using conventional radiotherapy, a larger volume of normal tissue around the cancer needs to be treated with full dose radiation, which limits the total dose of radiation that may be safely given.

What is the cure rate for early stage cancer?

For early stage (I, II), operable cancers in healthy patients, surgical removal is normally accepted as the treatment of choice, with reported cure rates as high as 70% or more (1, 2). If a patient has an early stage cancer, but their ability to withstand surgery is in question because of coexisting medical problems ...

Can lung cancer be spread?

Sometimes lung metastases are the only area of cancer spread, without evidence of relapse elsewhere in the body. When this is the case, if the lung metastases are not too numerous or advanced, some patients will be cured with surgical resection of their metastatic disease (16-19).

An Effective, Less Disruptive Treatment Option

The CyberKnife System offers a non-surgical, non-invasive treatment option that delivers proven results for a wide range of cancers and metastases.

CyberKnife precision delivers a number of unique benefits to patients

By delivering a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor, CyberKnife treatment is proven to provide excellent long-term outcomes.

Learn More About Your CyberKnife Treatment

For additional information on what to expect before, during and after your CyberKnife treatment, please choose your cancer type:

How long does it take to get a cyberknife?

CyberKnife treatment is typically completed in as little as 3 to 4 sessions over 1 to 2 weeks, compared to 20 to 30 sessions over 4 to 6 weeks with conventional radiation therapy.

How long does lung SBRT take?

Additionally, compared to conventional radiation therapy that requires approximately 20 to 30 sessions over several weeks, lung SBRT can typically be completed in 3 to 4 sessions over 1 to 2 weeks.

What is SBRT radiation?

SBRT is a form of hypofractionated radiation therapy. Hypofractionation entails delivering a higher dose per fraction across fewer total fractions. Hypofractionated radiation therapy , such as lung SBRT, has been proven to deliver clinical outcomes as good as conventional fractionation — while dramatically reducing both the number of treatments and the total cost of care for both patients and payers.

Why is it important to deliver radiation to the target?

Precisely delivering the prescribed radiation dose to the target is essential for optimizing long-term cancer control. Additionally, precise dose delivery reduces irradiation of healthy tissues surrounding the target.

How does radiation therapy work?

Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high-energy X-rays (photons) to kill, shrink or control the growth of tumors. Radiation therapy works by damaging cells , disabling them from growing and dividing. The goal of any radiation treatment is to destroy cancer cells while minimizing the side effects on healthy tissue. As imaging technologies have improved over the last several decades, radiation therapy has integrated those improvements to enhance dose delivery and minimize side effects.

What is the goal of radiation therapy?

The goal of any radiation treatment is to destroy cancer cells while minimizing the side effects on healthy tissue. As imaging technologies have improved over the last several decades, radiation therapy has integrated those improvements to enhance dose delivery and minimize side effects.

How does radiation affect the quality of life of a patient?

The ability to deliver precise doses of radiation enables clinicians to decrease exposure to surrounding healthy tissue and minimize negative side-effects that can reduce a patient’s quality of life. Most patients resume normal activity immediately after treatment sessions.

Can a cyberknife be used for lung cancer?

CyberKnife or stereotatic radiosurgery has been used on lung tumors with pretty good results. The Japanese, together with M.D. Anderson looked into using it for stage I lung cancers in patients that are otherwise suitable candidates for surgery.#N#The bottom line is it is a new technology for lung masses. It may have a role in patients who are not surgical candidates, or perhaps someday for many patients that may even have resectable disease and good cardiopulmonary reserve.#N#Some thoracic surgeons, who are the experts in thoracic oncology, have learned to use it, evaluate its efficacy and have it in their armamentarium, so as not to loose patients to others that may use their new hammer inappropriately thinking that every tumor is a new nail.#N#Thoracic surgeons need to be poised as the gatekeepers for thoracic oncology patients for appropriate disease management.#N#Greg

Does Cyberknife remove tumors?

Cyberknife doesn't remove the tumor, it zaps it and you could still have tumor residue or dead tumor.#N#I had stereotactic radiation and had no fudicial placement, just the tattoes. Most times with stage I they prefer to do surgery to go for the cure. Doctors know all about this and use it all the time. It all depends on the doctor. Surgery was recommended for me with stage IIIA and I opted for SRS then chemo.#N#It's a personal choice as you can always find a doctor that will do it. Take care, Judy

Is the VA using a cyberknife?

It is nice to know that the VA is using the Cyberknife. When I see what people have gone through having the traditional surgery it reinforces my decision to have it Cyberknifed.

How long does it take to get a cyberknife?

CyberKnife treatment can typically be completed in as little as 3 to 4 sessions over 1 to 2 weeks, compared to 20 to 30 sessions over 4 to 6 weeks with conventional radiation therapy.

What is a Cyberknife cradle?

As part of the preparation process, you may be fitted for a personalized body cradle designed specifically to make treatment more comfortable for you while ensuring body position is the same for each treatment session. You will also be fitted with a special vest, which is worn during treatment and enables the CyberKnife robot to adapt and synchronize treatment delivery with your natural breathing.

What is a fiducial in lung cancer?

Fiducials are markers that show on X-rays to help the CyberKnife System pinpoint the tumor’s exact location. They are implanted in a short outpatient procedure prior to treatment planning.

How does a syringe treatment work?

The treatment eliminates many of the inconveniences of other treatments — and significantly reduces the risk of the side effects that too often disrupt the lives of patients during and after treatment.

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