CyberKnife® treatment

Need to know

• What happens icon plus

  Despite its name, CyberKnife® isn't a knife at all. It's a precise radiosurgical system that's entirely non-invasive. Treatment doesn't hurt, so it requires no anaesthetic. During a CyberKnife® session, you'll lie comfortably still on the treatment table, which automatically moves you into the correct position. CyberKnife® uses a robotic arm attached to a radiotherapy machine to deliver treatment. This arm moves around you to direct hundreds of pencil-thin beams of radiation from a range of different angles to target your tumour. Each treatment session usually lasts between 30 and 90 minutes. A full course of treatment is one to five sessions.

• How to prepare icon plus

  Your consultant will explain the treatment and answer any questions you have. A few days beforehand, you may have fiducial markers inserted near your tumour to help the CyberKnife® pinpoint its position. These metal markers look like tiny gold seeds and are put in place with a small needle, usually guided by ultrasound. Your consultant will let you know what to expect. You'll also have a series of CT, MRI or PET scans to determine the size, shape and location of your tumour. This information is programmed into the CyberKnife® system. Like all procedures, there may be some risks or side effects involved. Your consultant will explain these to you.

• Afterwards icon plus

  Because the treatment is non-invasive, you should be ready to go home right after your session. Some people feel a bit tired or have mild nausea after treatment, but most people have no side effects at all. Because the radiation is so precisely delivered, damage to healthy tissue is limited and you won't be radioactive after your treatment. After a full course of treatment, follow-up scans, generally including a combination of CT, MRI and PET scanning, are carried out. This is to assess how the tumour has responded to treatment and to determine if further treatment is needed.