Treatment Process

After a careful clinical evaluation, if CyberKnife Radiosurgery is selected as the best treatment option, treatment involves three steps:

1. Set-Up
2. Planning
3. Delivery

CyberKnife in motion

Treatment Set-Up
If the brain or cervical spine above C4 is to be treated, a custom-fit plastic mask is created for each patient. A CT scan with contrast is then taken with the mask in place to precisely target the treatment area. An MRI may also be taken and fused with the CT scan for treatment planning.
 
If the spine below the C4 level is to be treated, the planning CT is obtained with the patient lying in a foam body cradle custom-fitted for the individual patient.

Treatment Planning
Treatment planning is done by the neurosurgeon, the radiation oncologist and the medical physicist. The area to be treated is carefully delineated, and a decision is made regarding the dose for the target and the acceptable dosage for the surrounding structure. The physicians then develop a computer plan which will utilize the robot to deliver the radiation from many different points.

Treatment Delivery
The patient returns several days after the planning CT scan and reclines on the couch, either in the body cradle for spinal tumors or with the plastic face mask for intracranial problems or upper cervical spine lesions. The robot then targets the tumor area from many different sites, as many as 200-300 positions with frequent pictures created during the treatment to ensure the accuracy of the treatment. The procedure is painless and usually takes 30-90 minutes; the patient can usually return home immediately and resume normal activities. They return to the CyberKnife Clinic periodically so the physicians can monitor their progress.