INFORMATION FROM YOUR ANCHORAGE RADIATION ONCOLOGISTS
The CyberKnife System is the most advanced alternative to surgery for the treatment of cancerous and non-cancerous tumors throughout the body. Despite its name, the procedure does not involve any cutting at all. Instead, CyberKnife is a non-invasive alternative to surgery that can be performed at our comfortable outpatient Anchorage cancer center.
It delivers high doses of radiation with sub-millimeter accuracy, which enables treatment to be complete in one to five short treatment sessions over the course of one to five days, compared to the weeks or even months required for treatment with other technologies. The CyberKnife System’s ability to deliver radiation with pinpoint precision minimizes side effects by sparring exposure to surrounding tissues and nearby critical structures.
THE CYBERKNIFE ROBOTIC ARM ADVANTAGE
CyberKnife is the only dedicated robotic radiosurgery system (SRS-SBRT-SABR) that can access tumors in any part of your body. The key to the CyberKnife system is the coordination of its flexible robotic arm, the sophisticated real-time imaging, and the intelligent tracking software.
These three elements combine to deliver radiation anywhere in the body, including moving targets that are hard-to-reach such as in the lung, prostate, liver, pancreas and kidney, or in more stationary spots like the brain, head & neck and spine. The robotic arm allows radiation to reach the tumor from the best possible angles, following and targeting the tumor however it moves, even in the tiniest of increments.
Conventional external radiation treatments use a machine that rotates slowly in 360° around your body, making it more difficult to target the exact location of your tumor. CyberKnife’s robotic arm moves freely, tracking your movements and adjusting the beams of high-dose radiation directly to attack and destroy the cancer using sophisticated software and continuous X-rays. Its precision means less chance that healthy tissue or organs surrounding the tumor are affected and fewer side effects.
THE CYBERKNIFE ROBOTIC ARM ADVANTAGE
The mobility and tracking features of the CyberKnife System and its precise high doses of radiation lead to a more comfortable cancer treatment experience for you. The mobility of the robotic arm and the instantaneous tracking of the imaging system mean that you can relax on our comfortable treatment couch. If you require treatment of the brain, head, neck, or cervical spine areas, you do not have to be bolted to a head frame or other mobility limiting device to receive your treatment.
Instead, you will be fitted with a mesh head mask to help you remain as still as possible and you will receive your treatments lying on that same treatment couch in our contemporary Anchorage cancer treatment center.
With CyberKnife, your radiation treatment is delivered precisely to the cancerous cells in only one short treatment per day for one to five days. Other traditional radiation therapies require 25 to 45 treatments, one each day. For up to eight weeks. Since the treatment does not require surgery, there is no pain, no anesthesia and no hospital stay. You are able to resume your normal life almost immediately after treatment.
While CyberKnife is often used as a safe alternative to surgery, it can also be used in conjunction with other cancer treatments such as surgery, conventional radiation therapy or chemotherapy. If you need retreatment after previous radiation or have recurring cancer, CyberKnife has been proven an effective option.
THE CYBERKNIFE ROBOTIC ARM ADVANTAGE
Find out if the CyberKnife cancer treatment is right for you. Contact us at 907-771-0517 to ask any questions and to set up your first appointment with one of our expert radiation oncologists. The Alaska CyberKnife Center is the first and only free-standing CyberKnife radiosurgery center in the state of Alaska.
We partner with you and your families, friends, and physicians throughout your cancer treatments by providing the latest and most advanced radiation therapy technologies. Let us get started today.