Home Blogs Radiation Oncology What are the PROS and CONS of Cyberknife Treatment?
Written By Dr. Simran Rao
Radiation Oncology
8 mins read
15/04/2024
CyberKnife technology, one of the high-performance subtypes of radiosurgery, is a non-invasive, painless procedure allowing for direct, focused delivery of high doses of radiation into proper locations, where the tumor or lesion is located in the body.
This equipment includes a robotic arm that can be directed with high precision to the regions in the central nervous system which is not possible with other forms of radiosurgery. Go ahead and read the pros and cons of cyberknife treatment.
CyberKnife treatment offers several advantages
The contribution of CyberKnife treatment to the unmatched level of precision is due to implantation of the advanced technologies. The obligation of AI scientists is to oversee the development of algorithms that should enhance the safety and quality of the healthcare service.
The pictures, from CT or MRI scanners, predict the tumor composition to make the navigation procedure safe a thousand times. Our discipline is extremely selective to the dose.
This situation is what continues the radiation adjustments precisely because if the full body movement after treatment takes place then this radiation dose will be repeated to welcome every new tumor movement and patient repositioning while on a daily basis if any of the two happens which turns the taking quicker while raising the accuracy of radiation.
Unlike the conventional way of using a radiation machine where the flat array has just one angle of movement, the Metastasis-busting Robotic System allows radiation delivery from different angles through its mobile arm of robotic nature.
The full scope of the treatment gives a predestined right to target even the most heterogeneous tumors with a minimum disturbance of normal tissues at best. The meticulousness of CyberKnife, for instance, which enables the delivery of radiation to tiny tumors, and in so doing or as a result, leads to a reduction or prevention of the possible risks of radiation therapy cannot be underestimated.
Moreover, the method is effective, it makes it possible to use geometrical changes in cases where the anatomical modifications are impossible, and therefore results in the precise delivery of the radiation to the tumor site.
The non-invasive transmission, operated by the robotic system, aims to administer the radiation accurately doses to any part of the body with the treatment of intricate tumors either malignant or benign.
CyberKnife was specifically developed as a solution for the tumors that demonstrate unwanted motion during radiotherapy sessions, for example, those in the lungs that breaths affect.
CyberKnife treatment is capable of treating tumors and lesions in most parts of the body and even in places that are tricky to access due to their small size or difficulty due to their complexity.
Unlike the utility of the classic cancer treatment approaches, CyberKnife can be accommodated for both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors which are treated with noninvasive and more precise approaches.
Its robotic arm is adjustable, the arm permits the beam from multiple directions, and this is crucial for tumor sites which are variable in anatomical location.
Likewise, CyberKnife is very well proficient in radiation treatment of the decreasing tumors that are moving, such as the tumors which are influenced by the motion of the respiratory tract or body in general, enabling exact delivery of radiation even in dynamic circumstances.
The flexibility makes CyberKnife a unique possibility for patients who need treatment for a variety of conditions, which ensures them with personalized and adequate treatment when compared to other fellows.
>>Also Read: CyberKnife Treatment Cost in India
CyberKnife procedure is painless mainly because of its being non-invasive and since it has no effect on healthy tissues and only destroys the targets effectively. On the contrary, CyberKnife surgery does not need the physical contact of incision and tissue and manipulation as it does in traditional surgery.
Rather, radiation beams are concentrated on the site with more accuracy with the help of imaging and robotics technology in the field. Here, patients rarely have painful experiences during the surgery procedure itself.
Furthermore, because of the CyberKnife’s targeted precision, it decreases the amount of destruction on surrounding healthy tissue, thus, reducing the possibility of people experiencing post-treatment pain or discomfort.
In general, the feature of being noninvasive, high precision, and minimum collateral damage delivers a painless option for patients, who undergo the treatment with the help of CyberKnife.
CyberKnife treatment is associated with minimal side effects primarily due to its high precision and ability to spare surrounding healthy tissues from unnecessary radiation exposure. The treatment's accuracy enables clinicians to precisely target tumors or lesions while minimizing damage to adjacent structures, reducing the likelihood of side effects.
Additionally, CyberKnife's non-invasive nature means there is no need for incisions or anaesthesia, which can contribute to a lower risk of complications compared to traditional surgery.
Furthermore, because CyberKnife treatment is typically completed in fewer sessions compared to other forms of radiation therapy, there is less cumulative exposure to radiation, further reducing the potential for side effects.
Overall, the combination of precision, non-invasiveness, and reduced radiation exposure contributes to the minimal side effects associated with CyberKnife treatment, making it a favourable option for patients seeking effective tumor management with fewer adverse effects.
Here are a few cons of cyberknife treatment
CyberKnife, one of the biggest disadvantages is its high cost. Since the entire process is computer-assisted, the CyberKnife is not a cheap treatment. The high costs can be computed by including the cost of specialized equipment, the experts that are required to run the machine, imaging studies, calculating the treatment, and the treatment session itself.
Another issue is that since the CyberKnife treatment is generally perceived as a specific kind of radiation therapy thus, insurance coverage may not be fully paid for which becomes a burden on the patients. In such cases, the cost of treatment may become a financial burden for the patients and lead to the reconsideration of the treatment options.
Therefore, CyberKnife radiotherapy presents numerous advantages; however, the billing for these services is a pricey matter for both patients and the healthcare system.
Factors that can determine the availability of CyberKnife treatment are multifarious. Although the technology is becoming more viral, the chances for its existence or impregnation can still be limited in some regions or healthcare institutions as a result of factors such as infrastructure resources and patients' demand.
Healthcare centres should have sophisticated equipment that is used to deliver CyberKnife therapy and have trained staff to ensure seamless services and these may not be easily found anywhere.
Furthermore, up to doctors of general practice or respective specialists, a referral to CyberKnife technology may be needed and in different cases insurance can be the issue, limiting access by some patients.
Secondly, those locations would show higher demand generally, making appointment availability as well as delivery of treatments the biggest problems for accessibility to those areas. These factors that were attempted to be covered by efforts to expand access still have a significant impact on some patients to receive a CyberKnife.
CyberKnife treatment duration represents a downside of this method which often takes fewer sessions than the ones required in the traditional counterparts. The individual sessions of the CyberKnife treatment would be quite a time competent and are capable of taking several hours, based on the significant extent, the tumor location and the complexity of the case in question.
Also, patients will most likely need to go through several treatment sessions, with a goal to finish all of them over a few weeks to complete the full course of therapy. While longer treatment time offers increased contact with radiation, from patients’ perspective, it may be considering additional commutes to the medical centre and limitation of mobility.
Moreover, the frequency of the multiple sessions also might be a problem as the patient has to visit the treatment centre quite often which may be a discomfort especially when the patient lives far away.
CyberKnife therapy on the one hand comes with both pros like superior surgical accuracy and fewer side effects compared to other similar treatments; but on the other hand, it can be seen as a disadvantage for some due to the amount of time required for its application.
In spite of the fact that CyberKnife treatment is designed to minimize any side effects, the patient still possesses a possibility of some undesirable reactions.
They might involve shortness of breath (fatigue), rash and swelling of the skin (dermatitis), and gastrointestinal issues (nausea and vomiting), among others, with some cases being more serious, such as damaged tissues and radiation fibrosis.
While keeping to accurate targeting, hair loss will be observed on a temporary basis, although rarely in the radiation therapy that is aimed at the head and neck regions.
Necessarily, the patients are supposed to weigh the risks and advantages of undergoing therapy carefully with their healthcare providers, before undergoing the treatment, and to report any adverse effects immediately for prompt management.
Cyberknife therapy has shown interesting efficacy not only on tumors and lesions but also on some different conditions as well. However, there are cases when this treatment may not be appropriate.
Among other things, tumor size and location, tumor biology and type, the absence/presence of metastatic disease, tumor function in key organs and/or the patients-specific factors are very significant when it comes to determining whether the provided treatment is effective.
Large tumors or others close to vital structures may create challenges due to the non-proportionality of the dose for safe ones without damaging the healthy tissue. Besides, different cancer types might show varied radiation therapy responsiveness rates and this is when other treatment methods are necessarily required.
On occasions of a spread of metastasis disease systemic treatments may be preferable as compared with the localized therapy with radiation. That is why CyberKnife therapy possesses substantial advantages; however, its effectiveness is largely dictated by thorough examinations from healthcare providers and personalized treatment plans.
In addition to this, CyberKnife treatment has various advantages such as the greatest level of accuracy, since the treatment is based on the use of the most advanced techniques, algorithms and other validation tools.
Therefore, the dosage of radiation and the damage that may happen to other parts are both less left as consequences. The anatomical feature of photons enables them to penetrate the tumors from outside without entering any healthy tissues thus they are capable of delivering targeted radiation even to those tumors that are unlikely to move and are therefore found in the lungs.
The diversity of this tool is another unique point; so it can be applied for the detection and treatment of tumors and lesions in various body fragments in order to make treatment individual and accurate.
The manipulations are painless and with fewer side effects than what is commonly chanted, hence patients will enjoy fewer issues that are associated with the healing process.
Nevertheless, CyberKnife has its own disadvantages, such as extremely high treatment costs, limited availability of CyberKnife centres in chosen countries, relatively long treatment duration, the possibility of side effects involved in treatment application, and at last, the effectiveness drawback of CyberKnife treatment for some cancer types.
Among the factors, designing a specific and adequately understandable treatment plan for each patient is especially critically crucial to getting the best possible result in CyberKnife therapy.
Written By
A hard working, patient centred, skillful and knowledgeable doctor who is always ready to learn.
From a very young age she aspired to be in the medical field, to help cure the ailing. She believes that relief on the patient's face, the smile of gratitude and the feeling of helping someone is all what matters.
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1) UCSF Department of Radiation Oncology 2) Mayoclinic
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