CyberKnife® treatment
The CyberKnife® System is precise, non-invasive treatment for tumors and lesions in your head and body. It provides a superior experience because it requires no incisions, no anesthesia, no hospitalization and little or no recovery time.
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About CyberKnife® treatment
The CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System is a noninvasive alternative to surgery for treatment of both cancerous and noncancerous tumors and lesions anywhere in your body. The treatment delivers high doses of radiation to tumors with extreme accuracy.
CyberKnife precisely targets the tumor while limiting exposure to the healthy tissue that surrounds it.
What to expect from the treatment
CyberKnife delivers multiple beams of high-dose radiation to specific areas. The computer-controlled robotic arm automatically and continually adjusts to the slightest movement. That means you can relax and breathe normally while the machine checks and accounts for any movement to make sure treatment is accurate.
Each treatment typically lasts only 30-90 minutes, after which you can return to your daily activities.
You will be comfortably positioned on the treatment table. The CyberKnife System’s computer-controlled robot will carefully move around you to precisely deliver radiation at various locations as prescribed by your treatment plan. At the same time, the CyberKnife System is taking X-ray images that provide real-time information about the location of treatment and enable the system to dynamically track and correct for any movement of your tumor. Depending upon the type and location of your treatment, you can expect to undergo between one and five treatment sessions.
Choosing Allina Health for CyberKnife® treatment
Each treatment typically lasts only 30-90 minutes, after which you can return to your daily activities. And because CyberKnife is so precise, you typically need just one to five treatments.
Each member of our CyberKnife team offers distinct expertise to your care. The team includes neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, an oncologist, a medical physicist, a radiation technician and a nurse coordinator. We will customize your treatment plan to ensure your highest level of comfort and the best results possible.
The team approaches patient care with compassion and support. We will explain the treatment process and options in simple, easy-to-understand language because we want you and your family to fully partner with us in your care.
Nasseff CyberKnife® is part of the John Nasseff Neuroscience Institute and a project of United Hospital Foundation.
Conditions we treat
CyberKnife can be used if you have an inoperable or surgically complex tumor or if you are looking for a nonsurgical option.
CyberKnife can treat conditions from early stage to advanced disease. An expert team will make the decision about whether treatment with the CyberKnife System is right for you. In some cases the treatment can partner with surgery, chemotherapy and conventional radiation therapy.
Our specialists are proficient at treating neuropathic disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia, and cancerous and noncancerous tumors and lesions, including:
- acoustic neuroma
- arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
- brain or intracranial (Video about intercranial tumor treatment with CyberKnife)
- ependymoma
- glioma
- glomus jugulare
- head and neck tumors
- kidney
- liver and pancreas (Video about liver and pancreas tumor treatment with CyberKnife)
- lung (Video about lung tumor treatment with CyberKnife)
- meningioma
- metastatic cancers to the brain and spine
- pituitary adenoma
- prostate (Video about prostate tumor treatment with CyberKnife)
- skull base
- spine (Video about spine and spinal cord tumor treatment with CyberKnife)
Most CyberKnife patients do not experience side effects. Patients who do experience side effects typically consider them mild. These will be reviewed with you by your radiosurgeon.