What Does Treatment Feel Like And How Long Does It Take
Treatment is painless. You will not feel anything as the radiation is delivered. You may hear and see the CyberKnife machine moving and setting up for the next position in treatment. Relaxing is the best thing you can do, while lying still. You can bring a CD of relaxing music to listen to during your treatment.
Time of treatment will vary, depending on the area being treated. Each stage or fraction, typically lasts one hour. You may need only one fraction, while others require up to 5 fractions for most effective treatment. Your doctor will tell you how long the treatment will take.
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More Than Two Decades Of Clinical Proof
The CyberKnife is commonly used for treating low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer and is the only radiotherapy device supported by years of published clinical follow-up with a large number of patients.
SAFE AND EFFECTIVE
Prospective, multi-institutional study data supports the safety and efficacy of CyberKnife for men with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer.1, 2
EXCELLENT LONG-TERM OUTCOMES
Clinical studies report CyberKnife provides excellent long-term disease control for prostate patients.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
20,000+ PROSTATE CANCER TREATMENTS
More than 20,000 men have been treated with CyberKnife.
References:
1 Meier. R. et al. Five-Year Outcome From a Multicenter Trial of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Low- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, Volume 96, Issue 2, S33 S34.
2 Fuller D.B., et. al. 5-year outcomes from a prospective multi-institutional trial of heterogeneous dosing stereotactic body radiotherapy for low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer. J Clin Oncol 35. 2017 6S 35.
3 Zelefsky M.J., Chan H et al. Long-term outcome of high dose intensity modulated radiation therapy for patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. J Urol 2006 176:1415-9.
4 Cheung R., Tucker S.L. et al. Dose-Response Characteristics of Low- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer Treated with External Beam Radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2005 61: 993-1002.
What Are The Benefits Of Cyberknife
CyberKnife is the next stage in radiation therapy. It provides its patients:
- Fewer side effects: Many patients experience no or little side effects, unlike with traditional radiation.
- No downtime: The procedure does not require any anesthesia, and patients are ready to resume their day-to-day activities as soon as the procedure is over.
- Shorter treatment time: Instead of several weeks of radiation, CyberKnife treatment is completed within just one to two weeks, in only one to five sessions.
- Varied treatment possibilities: With its ability to treat anywhere in the body, it can be used for treatment of prostate, liver, pancreatic, brain, lung or spine cancers, as well as to treat trigeminal neuralgia.
If you want to learn more about how CyberKnife treatment might work for you, arrange for a consultation today.
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Are There Any Surgical Techniques That Have Been Developed To Improve Erectile Function Outcomes
At this time, there are several different surgical approaches to carry out the surgery, including retropubic or perineal approaches as well as laparoscopic procedures with freehand or robotic instrumentation. Much debate but no consensus exists about the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches. Further study is needed before obtaining meaningful determinations of the success with different new approaches.
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Large Study Reveals Long
WASHINGTON A large, national study examining a radiation treatment for prostate cancerpopular because it delivers a high dose of therapy in a very short time framesupports its routine use.
The study, conducted at cancer centers around the United States including at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, looks at long term follow up data for stereotactic body radiotherapy used to treat more than 2,100 men with prostate cancer that had a low or intermediate risk of recurring.
The results were published Feb. 8 in the journal JAMA Network Open.
At MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, the therapy is delivered by a system called CyberKnife, which delivers high doses of radiation precisely aimed to minimize the involvement of healthy surrounding tissue.
Radiation oncologist Sean P. Collins, MD, PhD, says curative treatment is a shared goal along with maintaining a persons quality of life. Side effects, including impotence, can occur with all treatments for prostate cancer and can happen years after treatment.
While it is necessary to observe these men for decades, our interim seven-year data show that survival and side effects are comparable to other forms of radiotherapy, says Collins, director of the CyberKnife Prostate Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and an associate professor of radiation medicine at Georgetown University.
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Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
IMRT, an advanced form of 3D-CRT therapy, is the most common type of external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer. It uses a computer-driven machine that moves around the patient as it delivers radiation. Along with shaping the beams and aiming them at the prostate from several angles, the intensity of the beams can be adjusted to limit the doses of radiation reaching nearby normal tissues. This lets doctors deliver an even higher radiation dose to the cancer.
Some newer radiation machines have imaging scanners built into them. This advance, known as image guided radiation therapy , lets the doctor take pictures of the prostate just before giving the radiation to make minor adjustments in aiming. This appears to help deliver the radiation even more precisely and results in fewer side effects.
A variation of IMRT is called volumetric modulated arc therapy . It uses a machine that delivers radiation quickly as it rotates once around the body. This allows each treatment to be given over just a few minutes. Although this can be more convenient for the patient, it hasnt yet been shown to be more effective than regular IMRT.
What Happens After Treatment
Treatment with CyberKnife generally doesnt interfere with normal activities.
Your doctor will advise you on a follow-up schedule of visits. A few months after treatment, youll probably need to schedule new imaging tests, such as CT, MRI, or PET. The images will help your doctor evaluate your response to radiation treatment.
If no cancer can be found, you may not need further treatment. Youll need careful monitoring for some time, though. That usually involves routine physical exams, PSA testing, and imaging tests to check for signs of recurrence.
If theres still evidence of cancer after SBRT, your doctor will make some recommendations on the next steps.
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Role Of Cyberknife In Specific Sites Carcinoma Lung
Stereotactic body radiation is commonly used to treat lung cancer, both in a palliative setup of metastatic/recurrent disease and curative treatment of early stage medically inoperable patients or those who refuse surgery.
Fractionation schedules used have varied from 5 Gy/fraction to 33 Gy/fraction. Patients receiving doses greater than 100 Gy BED did significantly better than those receiving less. Local progression was 3 times longer in patients receiving doses of more than 100 Gy BED.16
Local control in patients receiving doses of more than 20 Gy/fraction varied from 54 to 73% at 6 months. A dose responsive relation has been observed with local control increasing to 90% with higher doses, however, it is associated with significant toxicity. Radiation associated grade 3/4 toxicity was observed nearly in 40% of patients receiving more than 20 Gy in any series. A significant treatment mortality of 10% can also be expected. Unlike conformal radiation, pneumonitis has not been correlated with V20 and V13 equivalent. Pulmonary tolerance was also dependant on the type of prior treatment received and current condition of the lung.17
How Do You Prepare For Cyberknife
Youll need to go through a few steps before treatment can begin.
With ultrasound as a guide, a urologist will use long needles to place gold markers in your prostate. This will be similar to when you had your biopsy. CyberKnife will use the markers to track the tumor during treatment.
Then youll need some imaging tests to assess the location, size, and shape of the tumor. This data is sent to the CyberKnife software, so the proper dose, exact location, and number of treatments can be determined.
Your doctor will fill you in on details before you begin so you can plan accordingly.
Youll likely need one to five treatments on consecutive days. This can all be accomplished on an outpatient basis.
Theres no need for anesthesia or other medications, so you can eat and take medications as usual. Avoid lotions and powders on the area to be treated, and wear comfortable clothing. No further preparation is needed.
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Who Is A Candidate For Treatment
Cyberknife is typically used for patients with:
- Early-stage disease.
- Localized disease .
- A prostate volume of less than 80-100 cm.
- A lesion or tumor that is untreatable by surgery or other radiation modalities.
Some people with enlarged prostates may be given hormone therapy to try to shrink the prostate to be able to get Cyberknife treatment. Patients who are considered high risk for spread to the lymph nodes or have cancer in the lymph nodes are not good candidates for Cyberknife.
Where Could Mrgrt Take Us In Prostate Cancer
MRgRT is currently more resource intensive to deliver compared with standard radiotherapy. In an arena where there are multiple effective ways to irradiate a prostate , MRgRT will have to prove its worth. Hence research is needed to both prove the added value of this technology in prostate cancer and to streamline processes to reduce treatment times and workforce requirements.
At the most practical level, the ability to dispense with CT, and have a MR-only workflow to produce a complete plan, from contouring to checking, in minutes, paves the way for a paradigm shift in our departmental structures. Patients could be scanned, contoured and planned, all while waiting on the bed. With session times of around 45min at present, and scope to reduce this, a streamlined workflow could eliminate patient waits for planning and protracted radiotherapy planning pathways.
The ultimate question asks whether we can reduce fraction number below five, even to a single treatment? This has been done by several groups with HDR brachytherapy, mostly treating to 19 or 20Gy , , although recent reports have shown disappointing biochemical control rates . Early clinical testing is in process to establish whether similar doses can be given with external beam radiotherapy . However, the more accurate IGRT, intra-beam monitoring and the ability to rapidly produce a plan corresponding to the anatomy of the moment, would make MRgRT the optimal way to test this.
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What Is Involved In Cyberknife Treatment
CyberKnife® Machine
You will see a urologist a week or two before treatment. This doctor will place gold markers, known as “fiducials”, in your prostate as a way of marking the target. This is done under ultrasound guidance, similar to the procedure for prostate biopsy. The tumor position will be tracked during the Cyberknife treatment using the fiducials.
After the gold markers have been placed, a CT simulation is performed. During this CT scan, you will be positioned in the same way you will be positioned during the actual treatments. The physician uses this scan to outline the treatment area and organs or tissues to be avoided. This information is used to create the treatment plan.
The number of treatments and the amount of radiation per fraction can vary. Each fraction is a higher radiation dose than is used with traditional radiation, but fewer fractions are given. Typically, treatments include:
- Four or five fractions .
- Treatment is given over 1-2 weeks.
- The total dose in the mid to high 30 Gray range.
- Each treatment session is 30 to 90 minutes .
While you are being treated, the machine takes pictures of the tumor, which are compared in real-time to the images from the CT simulation. The CyberKnife robot moves around you to deliver precise treatment that can be adjusted as the prostate moves when you breathe.
Sbrt Limits The Field Of Radiation
CyberKnife is a form of stereotactic body radiation therapy , which is a coordinated system to exactly locate the tumor and limit the field of radiation treatment. SBRT delivers a single high dose of radiation or a few fractionized radiation treatments.
There are various types of SBRT, and I believe CyberKnife is the best. CyberKnife utilizes a robotic arm to deliver radiation in different ways and at different angles.
Ever try to slice a grape? It almost seems to squiggle away from the blade, and can result in a poor cut or even a smashed grape. But if you hold that grape against the cutting board between two fingers so it doesnt move, you can slice it precisely the way you want.
The tumor under prostate cancer treatment acts much like the grape: It squiggles away. Thats because the prostate moves unpredictably, caused by air passing through the rectum and by the filling and emptying movements of the bladder, not to mention the patient sneezing or just breathing.
The CyberKnife Robotic Surgery System blends robotics, computer-processing power, advanced imaging and the surgeons skill to make instantaneous corrections in radiation delivery. This is possible despite any movement of the patient or the prostate cancer tumor being targeted.
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Safe And Effective Prostate Cancer Treatment
Not only has the FDA-cleared the CyberKnife System, It has been used successfully to treat conditions throughout the body, including prostate tumors, but it is one of the safest cancer treatment options currently available. Despite its name , it doesnt involve any invasive surgical incisions, so the procedure is pain-free.
Plus, unlike conventional radiation therapy, CyberKnife has minimal if any side effects. Typically, treatments are completed in just one to five sessions as opposed to the numerous treatments over many weeks and months as required with conventional radiation therapy. In addition, there is no recovery time required, so you can immediately return to your normal activities once the treatment session is over.
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Everything To Know About Cyberknife Radiation Therapy
by CyberKnife Miami | Aug 4, 2022 | CyberKnife Center of Miami, CyberKnife to Treat Cancer, CyberKnife Treatment, Radiation Therapy
The experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami a state-of-the-art cancer treatment center that uses radiation to treat cancer are committed to providing patients with the best treatment, care, and access to information. So, we wanted to answer your most frequently asked questions about CyberKnife therapy starting with the
Five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, How, and of course Why!
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Course Of Treatment Lasts Only Five Sessions
The only cancer center in the region to offer the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System has expanded its capabilities and now offers non-invasive treatment for some prostate cancer patients.Patients at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion at St. Josephs/Candler could be eligible for a drastically-reduced number of radiation treatments and no surgery. The power and accuracy of the CyberKnife gives prostate cancer patients a fantastic and seriously effective treatment option, so patients can stay in their community and be near the support system of their loved ones. CyberKnife treatment for prostate cancer is recommended for low- and intermediate-risk patients. In general, that means those with a Gleason score of seven or less. Please consult your doctor to determine what course of treatment is best for you.
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Delivered By Cyberknife Has Distinct Advantages Over Other Treatments
Having performed more than 1,500 CyberKnife prostate cancer treatments, if I didnt know better I would think that this technology was created specifically to treat this disease. It is completely suited to the specific challenges of prostate cancer treatment. Yet CyberKnife was first used mostly as a treatment for head, neck and spine tumors that were very difficult to reach.
The Food and Drug Administration opened the door in 2001 to the use of CyberKnife to treat other cancers in the body. Since then urologists and oncologists are turning more and more to CyberKnife, as are patients.
CyberKnifes primary advantages relate to reduced damage to healthy tissue surrounding the cancerous prostate tissues. This is largely due to CyberKnifes ability to precisely target a tumor in the prostate without radiating healthy tissue. Damaging healthy tissue is the leading cause of side effects from radiation treatment.
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Online Support Groups For Prostate Cancer
- Us TOO. This organization has more than 200 support groups in the United States and abroad.
- Prostate Cancer Research Institute. This website allows you to search for support groups by state.
- Cancer Care. This site offers 15-week online support groups for people diagnosed with prostate cancer. Co-sponsored by the National Alliance of State Prostate Cancer Coalitions.
- Male Care. This organization offers online support groups for people with prostate cancer and their partners or caregivers.
- Imerman Angels. This support community offers one-on-one support with a mentor.
Prostate Cancer & Cancer Treatment By Epic Care Cyberknife
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in men over the age of 65. In the United States, prostate cancer will affect about 14% of men. At Epic Care Cyberknife, our oncologists and radiation experts are skilled at prostate cancer treatment and, when necessary, prostate cancer surgery. Our Walnut Creek Cancer Center understands the difficulty of a cancer diagnosis. For that reason, our radiation oncology team will work exceedingly hard to find a prostate cancer treatment that is right for you. With the cyberknife cancer treatment, we are confident you can beat cancer and continue living a full and healthy life.
The prostate is a small gland located just beneath the bladder. Its primary function is to secrete the base fluid for semen. The prostate is just in front of the rectum, which is why doctors check the prostate for cancer with a rectal exam.
Prostate cancer can occur when cells in the prostate grow abnormally, forming a small lump or tumor in the prostate. There is one main type of prostate cancer called acinar adenocarcinoma which accounts for about 90% of all prostate cancer cases. This type of cancer begins in the gland cells of the prostate and grows slowly over time. It is unlikely to spread to other organs in the body. The other 10% of prostate cancer cases are caused by six types of cancer. These prostate cancers are very rare and little is known about the most effective treatment to cure these types of prostate cancer.
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