THE BENEFITS OF CYBERKNIFE TREATMENTS
Accuracy is everything when treating prostate cancer. Doctors want to eliminate cancer cells without damaging the critical nerves near the prostate. The CyberKnife treatment is not a surgical option. Instead, it is an advanced form of treatment done with robotics that delivers extremely precise dosages of radiation directly to the tumor.
The CyberKnife System utilizes real-time imaging, tumor-tracking software and robotics to deliver precise radiation dosages exactly where they’re needed. Its imaging technology results in sub-millimeter accuracy, and the robotic arm can target cancer cells from almost any imaginable angle. Because it’s so accurate, it can safely administer higher dosages of radiation during the short treatment sessions, destroying cancer cells more quickly and completing treatment in less time than other treatments. Instead of going through six to nine weeks of radiation treatments, you’ll only have one to five sessions within one week with the CyberKnife System.
Because the CyberKnife System can make accurate adjustments to even the tiniest body movements, your doctors won’t have to place you in compression devices designed to keep the body still during each session. Instead, you can lie on a treatment couch during treatment, which usually takes less than an hour.
CyberKnife treatment has minimal side effects, if any, and you can often return to your normal activities on the same day as your treatment. The CyberKnife System offers effective treatments for virtually all types of prostate cancer, and it can help some patients avoid prostate removal surgery. Contact the Alaska CyberKnife Center at Providence Cancer Center for a consultation today to see whether CyberKnife treatment is right for you.