Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the CyberKnife System?
  2. What can the CyberKnife System treat?
  3. How can I find out if a CyberKnife treatment is right for me?
  4. How many patients have been treated with the CyberKnife System?
  5. What are the patient benefits of treatment with the CyberKnife System?
  6. Has the CyberKnife System been cleared by the FDA?
  7. What can I expect during a CyberKnife treatment?
  8. What side effects can I expect after a CyberKnife treatment?
  9. How many times can I receive a CyberKnife treatment?
  10. Are CyberKnife treatments covered by private insurance companies and Medicare?
  11. How much does a CyberKnife treatment cost?
  12. Is there a CyberKnife near me?
  13. After a CyberKnife treatment, when will my tumor or lesion disappear?
  14. How is a CyberKnife "radiosurgery" treatment different from a traditional radiation therapy treatment?
  15. How does the CyberKnife System differ from other radiosurgery systems?
  16. I am currently on or have been on chemotherapy. Am I eligible for a CyberKnife treatment?
  17. I have had radiation or proton therapy. Am I still eligible for a CyberKnife treatment?
  18. What is the difference between a lesion and a tumor?
  19. How is cancer staged and what does this mean?
  20. What are the different treatment options for treating cancer or benign lesions?
  21. What is a linear accelerator?

 

  1. What is the CyberKnife System?
    The CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System is a non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors anywhere in the body, including the head, spine, lung, prostate, liver and pancreas.  The treatment – which delivers beams of high dose radiation to tumors with extreme accuracy – offers new hope to patients worldwide.

    Though its name may conjure images of scalpels and surgery, the CyberKnife treatment involves no cutting. In fact, the CyberKnife System is the world’s first and only robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors throughout the body non-invasively.  It provides a pain-free, non-surgical option for patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors, or who may be looking for an alternative to surgery. Back to top
  2. What can the CyberKnife System treat?
    The CyberKnife® System is a non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors anywhere in the body, including the head, spine, lung, prostate,  liver and pancreas.  The treatment – which delivers high doses of radiation to tumors with extreme accuracy – offers new hope to patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors, or who may be looking for a non-surgical option. To date, more than 100,000 patients have been treated and 244 systems are installed worldwide.

    Below is a list of some, but not all intracranial (head and brain) tumors and lesions that can be treated by the CyberKnife System:
    Acoustic neuroma
    Anaplastic astrocytoma
    Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
    Craniopharyngioma
    DNET
    Ependymoma
    Epidural hematoma
    Gangliocytoma
    Germinoma
    Glioblastoma multiforme
    Glioma
    Glomus jugulare tumor
    Hemangioblastoma
    Meningioma
    Neurocytoma
    Neurofibroma
    Neurofibromatosis
    Oligodendroglioma
    PNET
    Pituitary adenoma
    Schwannoma
    Trigeminal neuralgia
    Vestibular schwannoma

    Below is a list of some, but not all extracranial (outside of the head and brain) tumors and lesions that can be treated by the CyberKnife System:
    Osteosarcoma
    Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
    Squamous cell carcinoma
    Non-small cell lung cancer
    Small-cell lung cancer
    Pancreatic cancer
    Hepatocellular carcinoma
    Prostate cancer
    Renal cell carcinoma
    Colon cancer
    Ovarian cancer
    Uterine cancer
    Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) Back to top
  3. How can I find out if a CyberKnife treatment is right for me?
    The CyberKnife System has been approved to treat tumors anywhere in the body including the brain, spine, lung, prostate, liver and pancreas. However, if you would like to find out if the CyberKnife System is right for you, talk to your doctor or call a CyberKnife center near you. Keep in mind that not all centers treat all conditions, so if you need special assistance, please contact Accuray’s Patient Relations at: 1.888.522.3740 ext. 4301, +1.408.789.4301 or email patientinfo@accuray.com.
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  4. How many patients have been treated with the CyberKnife System?
    As of December 2010 more than 100,000 patients have been treated worldwide by the CyberKnife System. More than half of those patients were treated with lesions or tumors outside of the brain and head.
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  5. What are the patient benefits of treatment with the CyberKnife System?
    Patient benefits include:
    • No incision
    • No pain
    • No anesthesia
    • No hospitalization
    • Little or no recovery time
    • Immediate return to daily activities

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  6. Has the CyberKnife System been cleared by the FDA?
    Yes, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the CyberKnife System to treat tumors in the head, neck and upper spine in 1999 and tumors anywhere in the body in 2001.
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  7. What can I expect during a CyberKnife treatment?
    Click on the below links to learn more about the specific CyberKnife treatment processes:
    Prostate 
    Lung
    Brain 
    Spine 
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  8. What side effects can I expect after a CyberKnife treatment?
    Most patients experience minimal to no short-term side effects and often recover quickly. Depending on the treatment site, some patient’s may experience different side effects such as mild fatigue or nausea. The CyberKnife physician will disclose all possible side effects prior to treatment.
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  9. How many times can I receive a CyberKnife treatment?
    The frequency of treatments depend on where the tumor is located and what type of tumor is being treated. Most cases can receive multi-treatments or can be re-treated with the CyberKnife System. Back to top
  10. Are CyberKnife treatments covered by private insurance companies and Medicare?
    While Accuray cannot guarantee reimbursement from any third-party payer, data collected from US-based CyberKnife centers indicate that Medicare has covered the CyberKnife treatment, and over 100 unique commercial, private payers are reimbursing the related codes, and any or all portions of CyberKnife services. Patients should always consult with a physician in connection with any and all treatment options, and if required, obtain prior authorization from their insurance companies once a treatment option is determined.

    Accuray offers assistance to those patients that may experience challenges with their insurance carriers. If you need special assistance, please contact Accuray Patient Relations at 1.888.522.3740 ext 4301, +1.408.789.4301 or patientinfo@accuray.com. Back to top
  11. How much does a CyberKnife treatment cost?
    During the consultation process, the CyberKnife staff will tell the patient how much the CyberKnife treatment costs. Back to top
  12. Is there a CyberKnife near me?
    Click here to find a list of all CyberKnife Systems. Back to top
  13. After a CyberKnife treatment, when will my tumor or lesion disappear?
    The effects of radiosurgery vary and may occur gradually and over time. The timeframe can range from days, months or years depending on the medical condition targeted. Some tumors may disappear slower than others or may simply stop growing and present no further cell activity. After treatment, patients typically are asked to get periodic images (CAT scan or MRI) of their tumor(s) and additional tests may be required, so the physician can monitor the effectiveness of the treatment.i Back to top
  14. How is a CyberKnife "radiosurgery" treatment different from a traditional radiation therapy treatment?
    Traditional radiation therapy typically delivers radiation to a wide field of tissue in the body resulting in the treatment of both the tumor and a large amount of surrounding healthy tissue. This is necessary because traditional radiation therapy systems did not account for tumor motion and were therefore much less accurate. These wide radiation fields increased the possibility of damage to normal tissue, increasing the risk of side effects following the radiation treatment. To reduce the number of side effects, clinicians were forced to rethink the way traditional radiation therapy was delivered. As a result, the overall radiation dose was reduced and the number of treatments was divided into 30 to 40 sessions, delivered over a period of weeks.

    Radiosurgery devices, such as the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System, were designed to deliver radiation with extreme accuracy, targeting the tumor with minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.  The accuracy of the CyberKnife System allows clinicians to deliver very high doses of radiation safely because the size of the radiation field is smaller and only includes the tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue.  This allows for less damage to surrounding healthy tissue and for clinicians to complete treatment in 1 to 5 days vs. the weeks it takes traditional radiation therapy.Back to top
  15. How does the CyberKnife System differ from other radiosurgery systems?
    A) Unprecedented Targeting Accuracy – Many tumors have proven to move during treatment delivery - even when the patient is immobilized. Using advanced robotic technology and the ability to track tumor motion throughout the treatment, the CyberKnife System can deliver radiation with extreme accuracy by automatically correcting for tumor movement in real-time. Where other technologies rely on static images taken just prior to treatment, the CyberKnife System automatically tracks, detects, and corrects for even the slightest motion that might occur throughout treatment delivery.

    B) Unrivaled Conformality and Dose Gradient – Unconstrained by the clockwise / counterclockwise rotations of conventional radiotherapy systems, the robotic mobility of the CyberKnife System enables beams to be delivered from a very wide array of unique angles.  By approaching the target from hundreds of different directions, the CyberKnife System sculpts delivered dose precisely to the unique contours of the target while limiting exposure to surrounding critical structures.

    C) Unparalleled Healthy Tissue Sparing – As the only system capable of delivering beams that move in real-time with 3D respiratory motion, the CyberKnife System significantly reduces the treatment margins commonplace with other radiation delivery systems.  With smaller treatment margins, the CyberKnife System focuses the prescribed dose to the intended target – not the surrounding healthy tissue.Back to top
  16. I am currently on or have been on chemotherapy. Am I eligible for a CyberKnife treatment?
    The CyberKnife System can treat patients that have either gone through chemotherapy or are currently undergoing chemotherapy. It is important for the patient to provide their physician with a complete medical history, so to the physician can prescribe the appropriate treatment course. Back to top
  17. I have had radiation or proton therapy. Am I still eligible for a CyberKnife treatment?
    The CyberKnife System can treat patients that have either gone through radiation therapy or are currently undergoing radiation therapy. It is important for the patient to provide their physician with a complete medical history, so the physician can prescribe the appropriate treatment course. Back to top
  18. What is the difference between a lesion and a tumor?
    A lesion can refer to any focused abnormality in the body, such as a tumor, a blood clot, a cyst, an aneurysm or an inflammatory mass. A tumor is an abnormal collection of cells that has grown due to a change in the cells. Tumors can be either malignant or benign and are a type of lesion. Back to top
  19. How is cancer staged and what does this mean?
    Staging describes the extent or severity of an individual’s cancer. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the physician plan treatment and estimate prognosis. Staging systems for cancer have evolved over time and continue to change as scientists learn more about cancer. There are many staging systems and some are specific to certain cancer types. The TNM staging system, for example, is used for lung cancer and is based on the extent of the tumor (T), its spread to lymph nodes (N) and its metastasis (spread to other parts of the body) (M). Most cancers can be described as stage 0, stage I, stage II, stage III or stage IV. Physical exams, imaging procedures, laboratory tests, pathology reports, and surgical reports provide information to determine the stage of each cancer. Back to top
  20. What are the different treatment options for treating cancer or benign lesions?
    The treatment options available vary according to the specific cancer and its location. In general, the treatments can be divided into the following categories:

    A) Radiosurgery: Radiosurgery, also known as stereotactic radiosurgery, is a form of radiation and despite its name, is not surgery. It is designed to precisely destroy a tumor or lesion by delivering a very high dose of radiation to the tumor in 1 to 5 treatments over a treatment course of 1 to 5 days. Patients are not required to be hospitalized during treatment and the procedure is almost always performed on an outpatient basis.

    B) Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is a form of radiation that is usually delivered 5 days a week over a treatment course of 6 to 8 weeks. Radiation therapy, (as opposed to stereotactic radiosurgery), usually treats larger areas that include not only the tumor, but large amounts of healthy tissue, increasing the risk of possible complications. Patients are not required to be hospitalized during treatment and the procedure is almost always performed on an outpatient basis.

    C) Brachytherapy: Brachytherapy is a specialized form of radiation therapy that requires the surgical placement of small radioactive sources in and around a tumor. The radioactive sources can be implanted either temporarily or permanently, depending on the nature of the source used. Low dose rate brachytherapy (LDR) delivers a prescribed dose over a longer period of time. Radioactive sources are usually implanted permanently. High dose rate brachytherapy (HDR) uses a different source type that delivers dose over a shorter period of time, therefore HDR sources are usually implanted temporarily. Brachytherapy has been used to treat a wide variety of cancers including prostate, breast, lung, head and neck cancers.

    D) Cryoablation: With Cyroablation, which is also called cryotherapy, a probe is inserted through the skin and into the tumor to freeze the tumor and kill its cells. Placement of the probe requires an incision and can be performed either on an inpatient or outpatient basis depending on the tumor being treated.

    E) High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU): HIFU uses a focused ultrasound beam to kill tissue containing cancer cells. It is not FDA approved in the United States, but has been used to treat prostate cancer in Europe.

    F) Surgery: Surgery or surgical resection is an invasive procedure that requires an incision to remove or cut the tumor out of the body.   Surgery can be performed on an inpatient or outpatient basis depending on the tumor being treated.  Because of the invasiveness of some types of surgery, some patients may be excluded from receiving this type of treatment.

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  21. What is a linear accelerator?
    A linear accelerator or LINAC is a device that uses an extremely high voltage power supply to produce high energy radiation. Back to top