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Powerfully precise, non-surgical treatment for brain tumors

Sub-millimeters matter. Choose CyberKnife® precision.

When it comes to the delicate and complex tissues and structures of the brain, precision matters. The CyberKnife System gives you a proven, non-surgical option for treating your brain tumor that may help minimize to minimize the risk of potential side effects that can impact short- and long-term quality of life. Delivering stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatments with unrivaled, sub-millimeter accuracy, the CyberKnife provides excellent clinical outcomes in treating a wide range of brain tumors — in fewer visits.

Key CyberKnife treatment benefits

  • Non-surgical and non-invasive
  • No head frame is required
  • Good cancer control
  • Reduced incidence of common cognitive side effects
  • Treatments may be completed in as little as 1-5 sessions within 1-2 weeks
  • Most patients can continue normal activity throughout treatment
  • Typically does not require interruption of chemotherapy cycles or immunotherapy treatments
  • Patients previously treated with whole brain radiotherapy may be candidates for CyberKnife SRS treatment
  • Patients previously treated with SRS may be candidates for CyberKnife SRS in other areas of the brain

Ask a physician if CyberKnife treatment is right for you

You deserve the best possible treatment for your brain tumor. Find a physician in your area offering the CyberKnife System — and find out if CyberKnife treatment is right for you.

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More than two decades of clinical proof

The revolutionary CyberKnife treatment technology is not new; the CyberKnife System has more than two decades of clinical proof and has helped thousands of patients with various brain tumors and metastases. The CyberKnife System is routinely used to treat conditions in the brain including, but not limited to, benign and malignant primary tumors, brain metastases, trigeminal neuralgia, acoustic neuromas and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). CyberKnife radiosurgery is even used to treat complicated neurosurgical cases, while maximally sparing healthy brain tissues involved in important functions such as motor control, touching, hearing and vision.

Demonstrated clinical benefits in the treatment of brain cancers and metastases:

  • CyberKnife SRS has been proven safe and effective for a broad range of neurological indications including brain1,2,3, and spinal tumors4,5,6,meningioma,7 acoustic neuroma,8,9,10 pituitary adenomas11, vascular malformations12, and functional disorders13.
  • In a clinical study of 133 patients treated for tumor metastases to the brain presenting with clinical symptoms such as headaches and seizures, 90 percent of patients either stabilized or improved performance status following treatment with the CyberKnife System2.
  • In a clinical study of 333 patients using the CyberKnife System to treat tumor metastases to the brain, more than 85 percent of evaluable patients achieved local tumor control at two years post treatment2. That is, the tumor either decreased in size or stopped growing.
  • CyberKnife frameless SRS also offers a precise, non-invasive treatment with clinical outcomes comparable to Gamma Knife frame-based SRS as demonstrated on patients treated with brain metastases1,2 and trigeminal neuralgia13.
  • A clinical study of 199 patients whose lesions were unsuitable for treatment with surgery and/or a portion of the lesion remained after surgery found that more than 92 percent of patients either experienced stabilization or a significant improvement of their symptoms following treatment with the CyberKnife System14.

References:

1 Wowra B. et al. “Quality of radiosurgery for single brain metastases with respect to treatment technology: A matched-pair analysis.” J Neurooncol. 2009; 94: 69-77.

2 Muacevic A. et al. “Feasibility, safety, and outcome of frameless image-guided robotic radiosurgery for brain metastases.” J Neurooncol. 2010; 97: 267-274.

3 Shultz et al. “Repeat Courses of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Deferring Whole-Brain Irradiation, for New Brain Metastases After Initial SRS.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. 2015; 92: 993-999.

4 Gerszten P.C. et al. “Radiosurgery for spinal metastases: Clinical experience in 500 cases from a single institution.” Spine. 2007; 32: 193-199.

5 Gagnon G.J. et al “ Treatment of spinal tumors using CyberKnife fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery: pain and quality-of-life assessment after treatment in 200 patients.” Neurosurgery. 2009; 64: 297-306.

6 Heron D.E. et al. “Single-session and multisession cyberknife radiosurgery for spine metastases-university of pittsburgh and georgetown university experience.” J Neurosurg Spine. 2012; 17: 11-18.

7 Colombo F. et al. “CyberKnife radiosurgery for benign meningiomas: short-term results in 199 patients.” Neurosurgery. 2009; 64: A7-13.

8 Jumeau et al “Vestibular shwannomas treated with CyberKnife: clinical outcomes.” Tumori. 2016; 102: 569-573.

9 Hansasuta A. et al. “Multisession stereotactic radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas: Single-institution experience with 383 cases.” Neurosurgery. 2011; 69: 1200-1209.

10 Casentini L. et al. “Multisession stereotactic radiosurgery for large vestibular schwannomas.” J Neurosurg. 2015; 122: 818-824 – https://doi.org/10.3171/2014.11.JNS131552.

11 Killory B.D. et al “Hypofractionated CyberKnife radiosurgery for perichiasmatic pituitary adenomas: Early results.” Neurosurgery. 2009; 64: A19-25.

12 Colombo F. et al. “Early results of CyberKnife radiosurgery for arteriovenous malformations.” J Neurosurg. 2009; 111: 807-819.

13 Romanelli P. et al. “Image-Guided Robotic Radiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia” Neurosurgery. 2017; Nyx571.

14 Colombo et al. “CyberKnife Radiosurgery for Benign Meningiomas: Short-Term Results in 199 Patients.” Neurosurgery. Volume 64 Number 2 February 2009 Supplement.

True robotic precision for unrivaled delivery accuracy

The CyberKnife System uses an image-guided linear accelerator mounted on a robot that synchronizes the delivery of radiation with skull motion in real-time throughout treatment.

The CyberKnife Robot

The CyberKnife System uses a robot that will bend and move around you to deliver radiation from virtually any position and any angle. This enables your treatment team to target the tumor or lesion with greater precision.

Real-Time Motion Synchronization

When sub-millimeters matter, even slight patient movements or shifts in the position of the tumor can be significant. The CyberKnife System automatically synchronizes the radiation beam with skull movement in real-time throughout treatment.

Continuous Sub-Millimeter Precision

The robotic delivery and real-time motion synchronization of the CyberKnife System empowers your treatment team to deliver the optimal dose of radiation to the tumor — maximizing treatment effectiveness while minimizing dose to surrounding tissues, which can help reduce the incidence of side effects.

Learn More About How The Cyberknife System Works

A precise, non-surgical option

The precision of surgical intervention can improve outcomes for many brain tumors, but there are many cases where surgical intervention may not be possible — or simply may not be the best option available. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with the CyberKnife System can offer a powerful alternative in many cases, delivering surgical-like precision in a non-invasive, typically pain-free treatment that does not require incisions or anesthesia, and is completed on an outpatient basis. CyberKnife multi-session radiosurgery has been shown to enable treatment of tumors close to sensitive structures in the head and neck.1,2,3,4,5 

CyberKnife SRS treatment is frequently used to treat the following types of cases:

  • Well-Defined Brain Tumors
    When the disease is limited to one (or a small number) of well-defined primary or secondary tumors in the brain, radiosurgery can provide a more focused treatment than conventional whole-brain radiation.
  • Radiation-Resistant Tumors
    Some types of brain tumors do not respond well to the low doses of frequent radiation used in conventional whole-brain radiation therapy. However, these radiation-resistant tumors may be effectively treated with high-dose radiation treatment using CyberKnife radiosurgery.
  • Avoiding Chemotherapy or Immunotherapy Interruption
    Many patients respond well to multi-modality treatment that combines radiation therapy with systemic treatment such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Unlike conventional whole-brain radiation, which may require interrupting chemotherapy treatment for several weeks, CyberKnife radiosurgery may be completed in 1 – 5 visits and typically does not require interruption to the chemotherapy cycle or immunotherapy treatments.
  • Patients with Prior Brain Irradiation
    In the event of a recurrence, it is generally not possible for patients to undergo a second course of whole-brain radiation therapy. Because CyberKnife radiosurgery delivers precisely targeted radiation, it may provide a safe radiation treatment option for some previously irradiated patient tumors. In addition, clinical data indicates that patients previously treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery (SRS) can be effectively treated with additional courses of SRS — thereby delaying or completely avoiding whole-brain radiation6
  • Reducing the Risks of Cognitive Impairment
    In some cases, both whole-brain radiation and targeted radiosurgery may be viable treatment options. Both treatments can provide good cancer control, but patients may choose radiosurgery in order to help reduce the risk of cognitive side effects to memory and concentration.
  • Complicated Brain Tumors
    For tumors and lesions located in the vicinity of sensitive structures that impact functions like motor control, touching, hearing and vision, the CyberKnife System can deliver an extremely targeted treatment that minimizes dose to these sensitive surrounding tissues — helping to reduce the risk of short- and long-term impairments..
Talking to Your Doctor About CyberKnife Treatment

References:

1 Gagnon G.J. et al “ Treatment of spinal tumors using CyberKnife fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery: pain and quality-of-life assessment after treatment in 200 patients.” Neurosurgery. 2009; 64: 297-306.

2 Heron D.E. et al. “Single-session and multisession cyberknife radiosurgery for spine metastases-university of pittsburgh and georgetown university experience.” J Neurosurg Spine. 2012; 17: 11-18.

3 Jumeau et al “Vestibular shwannomas treated with CyberKnife: clinical outcomes.” Tumori. 2016; 102: 569-573.

4 Hansasuta A. et al. “Multisession stereotactic radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas: Single-institution experience with 383 cases.” Neurosurgery. 2011; 69: 1200-1209.

5 Colombo et al. “CyberKnife Radiosurgery for Benign Meningiomas: Short-Term Results in 199 Patients.” Neurosurgery. Volume 64 Number 2 February 2009 Supplement.

6 Shultz et al. “Repeat Courses of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Deferring Whole-Brain Irradiation, for New Brain Metastases After Initial SRS.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. 2015; 92: 993-999.

Enables re-treatment after previous radiation

In the event of a recurrence, it is generally not possible for patients to undergo a second course of whole-brain radiation. Because the precise targeting of the CyberKnife System significantly reduces irradiation of surrounding healthy tissues, CyberKnife may provide a safe radiation treatment option for some previously irradiated tumors.

  • Patients who have previously received whole-brain radiation may be able to receive additional radiation with CyberKnife SRS treatments.
  • Patients previously treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery (SRS) can be safely and effectively treated with additional courses of SRS — thereby delaying or completely avoiding whole-brain radiation1
  • Patients treated with CyberKnife SRS may still be candidates for whole-brain radiation, in the event of recurrence.

References:

1 Shultz et al. “Repeat Courses of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS), Deferring Whole-Brain Irradiation, for New Brain Metastases After Initial SRS.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. 2015; 92: 993-999.

CyberKnife® vs. traditional treatments

An effective, less disruptive treatment option

The precision of the CyberKnife System maximizes radiation delivered to the target — while minimizing dose to surrounding healthy tissues. The result is highly effective treatment that eliminates many of the inconveniences of other treatments — and significantly reduces the risk of the side effects that too often disrupt the lives of patients during and after treatment.

CYBERKNIFE VS. SURGERY

The CyberKnife System offers many of the same benefits of precise surgical intervention. But CyberKnife radiosurgery is an outpatient procedure that does not require incisions or general anesthesia. Most patients will not require hospitalization or a long recovery period.

CYBERKNIFE VS. CONVENTIONAL WHOLE-BRAIN RADIATION

Instead of delivering radiation to all brain tissues, CyberKnife radiosurgery targets the tumor(s) with sub-millimeter precision, protecting healthy brain tissues and reducing the risk of common cognitive side effects of whole-brain radiation. In addition, CyberKnife radiosurgery may be completed in as little as 1-5 sessions within 1-2 weeks, compared with 10-15 sessions over 2-3 weeks with conventional whole-brain radiation.

CYBERKNIFE VS. FRAME-BASED GAMMA KNIFE SRS

Compared with single-session radiosurgery with the frame-based Gamma Knife, treatment with the CyberKnife System can be spread out over 1-5 sessions, which may result in fewer side effects1.

Reference:

1 Colombo F. et al. “CyberKnife radiosurgery for benign meningiomas: short-term results in 199 patients.” Neurosurgery. 2009; 64: A7-13.

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Important Safety Statement: Most side effects of radiotherapy, including radiotherapy delivered with Accuray systems, are mild and temporary, often involving fatigue, nausea, and skin irritation. Side effects can be severe, however, leading to pain, alterations in normal body functions (for example, urinary or salivary function), deterioration of quality of life, permanent injury and even death. Side effects can occur during or shortly after radiation treatment or in the months and years following radiation. The nature and severity of side effects depend on many factors, including the size and location of the treated tumor, the treatment technique (for example, the radiation dose), the patient’s general medical condition, to name a few. For more details about the side effects of your radiation therapy, and if treatment with an Accuray product is right for you, ask your doctor.