TREATMENT PROCESS

CyberKnife treatments at our facility are completed in one to five short sessions, depending on the size and location of the tumor. The non-invasive and extremely precise stereotactic radiation minimizes your chances of experiencing side effects, allowing you to go home and resume normal activities following each treatment session.

At the Alaska CyberKnife Center at Providence Cancer Center, your pancreatic cancer treatment includes:

• Treatment Planning – Your treatment team will insert micro-sized gold fiducials into your tumor to give the CyberKnife System a reference point for its location. They’re inserted into the tumor using a needle. Then you will have a CT scan, which produces an image of your tumor and anatomy. Our team of cancer specialists, including radiation oncologists and medical physicists, will upload the images into the CyberKnife System so they can custom-design a treatment plan just for you. The plan will determine the dose and how to target the tumor with the radiation beams.
• Treatment – After a plan is created, you will lie on the comfortable treatment couch, wearing your special vest that will help the system track your tumor’s position. The CyberKnife System’s robotic arm will rotate around you. The system’s tumor-tracking software adapts to the movement of your liver tumor and compensates for any additional patient movement to ensure that radiation is delivered directly to the intended target.
• Post-Treatment – After your treatment, you will likely be able to resume your normal daily activities. Some patients may experience short term side effects, such as nausea and fatigue.