Lung Cancer CyberKnife® VSI™ Robotic Radiosurgery System
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The CyberKnife® VSI™ Robotic Radiosurgery System enables our radiation oncologists to destroy difficult-to-reach tumors in the lung with high doses of precisely directed radiation, rather than with open surgery.
CyberKnife provides a pain-free, minimally invasive option for lung cancer patients who are unable to undergo surgery, or who do not want surgery.
How Does CyberKnife Treat Lung Cancer?
For some Cyberknife lung cancer patients, fudicials (tiny seeds) will need to be inserted into the lung tumor prior to the procedure. The CyberKnife System uses these markers as reference points to identify the exact location of the tumor at all times during treatment.
Patients are also fitted with a special vest to be worn during CyberKnife treatment. The vest helps the system compare chest motion and breathing patterns with tumor position. Ultimately, the information the vest collects for each patient aids the system in tracking the tumor’s motion as each beam of radiation is delivered.
A high-resolution CT scan then determines the size, shape and location of the tumor within the lung. The image data is then digitally transferred to the CyberKnife System’s workstation, where we precisely plan treatment to match the desired radiation dose to the exact tumor location.
Once treatment planning is complete, the patient is comfortably positioned on a cushioned table and the system’s computer-controlled robot slowly moves around the table, targeting radiation to the tumor from various angles while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
The system’s sophisticated software allows us to track the lung tumor and continually adjust the radiation treatment to account for patient or tumor movement.
CyberKnife treatment for lung cancer is typically completed in four to five sessions, depending on the location of the tumor and other factors.
Advantages of Cyberknife for Lung Cancer
A tumor in or near the lung can move as you breathe, making it difficult to accurately target with standard radiation. As a result, the tumor may not receive enough radiation and healthy tissue near the tumor may be damaged.
CyberKnife’s sophisticated software and respiratory tracking system allows us to confirm the location of the lung tumor and continually track its movement, in real time, so we can precisely deliver radiation without damaging healthy surrounding tissue.
Also, unlike standard radiation therapy in which the total radiation dose is divided into smaller doses over numerous sessions, CyberKnife allows us to destroy tumors with high radiation doses in one to five sessions.
Potential advantages of CyberKnife for lung cancer patients include:
- Sophisticated treatment planning software
- Real time tracking of tumor movement
- Less damage to surrounding healthy tissue
- Greater comfort during treatment
- Shorter treatment times
- Faster return to normal activities
- Immediate return to normal activities
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