What is CyberKnife?

CyberKnife is a robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat cancer in the whole body. With Cyberknife, tumors in any part of the body, especially lung, prostate, liver, pancreas, brain, spinal cord, can be treated very easily.

Thanks to this system, radiation beams can be used focally, and cancerous tissues in the brain and body can be treated with high doses. Normal tissues can be protected from the effects of radiation.

The computer-controlled robot and treatment device performs the treatment by rotating around the patient and irradiating from hundreds of angles.

There are subsystems within the CyberKnife device:

System that locates the tumor with imaging guidance,

Computer controlled robot and robotic patient positioning system.

Basically, CyberKnife is an advanced linear accelerator placed on industrial robots. It is a Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRC) device that uses radiation beams focally and treats cancerous areas in the brain and body, especially those with access problems, with high doses of beams.

How does Cyberknife work?

The CyberKnife is designed to pinpoint the target precisely from many angles around the patient. Thanks to the advanced imaging technique, it protects the surrounding healthy tissue in the best way while treating the diseased area with high accuracy and precision. In this way, the patient is treated comfortably without any incision with the least possible side effects and usually returns home the same day.

Who is this for?

CyberKnife method; It is used in lung cancers, prostate cancers, brain tumors, head and neck cancers, vertebral tumors, pancreatic cancers.

In addition, it can be used in small number of metastases that cannot be treated with other methods, in cases where the tumor is replaced by respiration or bowel movements, and in lung and liver tumors.

It is also effective in spinal cord diseases that are very sensitive to radiation. A second treatment can be made in tumors that have received radiotherapy before but have recurred in the same area.

What diseases are treated with CyberKnife Treatment?

Tumors in any part of the body, especially lung, prostate, liver, pancreas, brain and spinal cord, are treated.

What are the advantages of the CyberKnife Treatment?

CyberKnife treatment can be completed in 5 sessions or less, which is much more advantageous compared to conventional radiotherapy lasting 1.5 months. The CyberKnife is a painless procedure as it is not invasive; No surgery, incision or anesthesia is needed. Tumors that cannot be surgically removed are treated with the CyberKnife device. In treatments with the CyberKnife device, side effects are minimal and the patient can return to his daily activities immediately. The CyberKnife is the best option for patients who have had previous radiotherapy treatment but need retreatment.

Does a patient treated with CyberKnife emit radiation?

Patients treated in the Cyberknife device do not emit radiation. He/She can even hug a newborn baby after the treatment.

Is CyberKnife a safe and proven method?

CyberKnife is a radiosurgical device that was developed according to radiation technology, received FDA approval in the USA in 1999 and is in use. Thousands of patients worldwide have been treated with the CyberKnife device and many clinical studies have been published in medical journals. More than 100,000 patients have been treated worldwide. More than half of them received treatment from other parts of the body other than the brain region.

How many times can a patient be treated with Cyberknife?

The frequency of treatment varies according to the location and cell type of the tumor.

What is the difference between CyberKnife radiosurgery and classical radiotherapy?

In classical radiotherapy, a large area is irradiated, that is, both the tumor and the healthy tissue are irradiated. Wide area irradiation means increasing the side effects because more doses are given to the normal tissue. Studies have been carried out to reduce these side effects. As a result, the duration of classical radiotherapy can be reduced from 30-45 sessions to 1-5 sessions. The CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system is designed to best protect the surrounding healthy tissues while delivering a high dose with high accuracy to the tumor.