CLEVELAND – There is now another meaning to “cutting edge” technology.
In July, University Hospitals Case Medical Center began offering CyberKnife® treatment for cancerous tumors and lesions in the spine and other parts of the body that were once diagnosed as “inoperable.”
CyberKnife, an intelligent robotic radiosurgery system, allows physicians to provide a targeted, painless alternative to surgery by providing treatment options for specific tumors that are otherwise untreatable as a result of their sensitive location in the body. It is the first CyberKnife in Ohio available for the treatment of patients, according to its manufacturer, Accuray, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif.
With this new technology, physicians now have the ability to obtain the best possible outcomes for lesions throughout the body, including the spine. The CyberKnife is the first and only commercial application of robotic stereotactic radiosurgery for the spine and the spinal cord. Combined with two other state-of-the-art radiation systems called TomoTherapy® and the Gamma Knife®, the CyberKnife provides University Hospitals with the most robust suite of radiation therapy/stereotactic radiosurgery options for patients in Ohio. All three systems deliver high-energy radiation to selectively destroy tumors while avoiding surrounding, healthy tissue.
The CyberKnife uses a miniature linear accelerator mounted on a robotic arm to deliver concentrated beams of radiation to the targeted tumor from multiple positions and angles. Through the use of image guidance cameras similar to those used for cruise missile guidance, the CyberKnife system locates the position of the tumor in the body and uses its robotic arm to deliver 150-300 highly focused beams of radiation that converge at the tumor. Thus, the tumor receives a cumulative dose of radiation high enough to control or kill the cancer cells while minimizing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. The CyberKnife is the only system available that actively tracks movement in the body to continually optimize treatment even while it is being delivered.
“This revolutionary device brings the University Hospitals Radiosurgery Center into the forefront of 21st century cancer care,” said Robert Maciunas, M.D., director of the University Hospitals Case Medical Center Brain Tumors and Radiosurgery Centers. “The CyberKnife provides the safest and most accurate outpatient bloodless radiosurgery possible for our patients. It provides an option never before available for many cancer patients.”
Douglas Einstein, M.D., Ph.D., director of radiosurgery and the Adult Brain Tumor Service at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, said, “CyberKnife can be used as a non-invasive surgical substitute for patients with similar tumor control rates as surgery in certain situations such as the treatment of unresectable liver metastases, lung tumors, pancreatic or other GI tract tumors, prostate cancer, spinal tumors, and intracranial tumors that can’t be reached or treated with Gamma Knife. Whereby conventional radiotherapy can sometimes take several weeks to deliver, CyberKnife treatment which uses a much higher radiation dose per treatment delivered with less than 1mm accuracy, can be completed in 1 -5 days. During a CyberKnife treatment, patients do not require anesthesia, do not feel anything during the treatment, and can go home the same day.”
A specialized team of surgeons, radiation oncologists, physicists, nurses and technicians plan and direct each treatment. The interdisciplinary team of specialists draws from the UH Ireland Cancer Center, UH Neurological Institute and surgical specialties to provide patients with the most comprehensive diagnosis and treatment process possible. Through the work of these specialists, University Hospitals Case Medical Center has established a reputation of excellence in the treatment of complex brain and spinal disorders.