Acoustic Neuroma
A benign, slow-growing tumor type, acoustic neuromas affect the seventh and eighth cranial nerves in a part of the brain known as the cerebellar-pontine angle, or CPA. The eighth cranial nerve has two parts – the cochlear nerve that transmits sound between the inner ear and the brainstem, and the vestibular nerve that helps provide balance. Acoustic neuromas most commonly arise from “Schwann cells”, which produce insulation for the vestibular nerve. Therefore, these tumors are often called vestibular schwannomas. Acoustic neuromas are benign tumors that do not form metastases (secondary tumors) and therefore do not affect any other organs and system.
Symptoms Acoustic Neuroma
The symptoms can vary and depend on the size of the tumor and the affected cranial nerve. The most common signs of an acoustic neuroma include:
- Hearing deficiency and acute hearing loss.
- Dizziness (vertigo), may be associated with nausea and balance disorders.
- Tinnitus (subjectively perceived noise, ringing or whistling in the ears) - occurs in approximately 80% of cases.
The rare and non-specific symptoms include:
- Restriction of speech perception
- Headache, especially in the morning after wake up, when coughing, sneezing and vomiting
- Paralysis of the facial muscles and around the ears.
Large tumors that press against the brainstem may affect other cranial nerves that result in less common symptoms like the loss of sensation in the face and mouth or altered swallowing and gag reflex. Larger tumors also may lead to increased intracranial pressure and associated symptoms like headache, vomiting and altered consciousness.
Key Advantages of CyberKnife
- Non-invasive, no incisions, painless
- No anesthesia or hospitalization required
- Treats patients in 5 or fewer visits
- Reaches tumors from virtually unlimited directions with robotic mobility
- Enables clinicians to maximize and conform the dose to the tumor target
- Constantly tracks tumor movement throughout treatment
- Pinpoint Accuracy
- Few side effects and minimal radiation exposure to healthy tissue surrounding the tumor
- Immediate return to daily activities
Arteriovenous Malformation
CyberKnife precisely aims radiation beams at the Arteriovenous Malformation from multiple angles. Over time, the radiation causes the Arteriovenous Malformation blood vessels to narrow and eventually close off, eliminating the risk of hemorrhage or stroke. The primary advantage over surgical removal is that radiosurgery is not invasive, does not require anesthesia or a hospital stay and doesn’t carry the risks of open surgery. Moreover, some Arteriovenous Malformations are located in areas of the brain that cannot be treated with conventional surgery. In those cases, radiosurgery may be the only feasible treatment option.
CyberKnife differs from other radiosurgery systems in that it doesn’t require a rigid metal frame screwed to the patient’s skull for targeting tumors and immobilizing patients. The CyberKnife achieves highly accurate targeting with computer imaging that continuously updates the tumor location and, therefore, eliminates the need for a metal frame.
Key Advantages of CyberKnife for Arteriovenous Malformation
- Non-invasive, no incisions, painless
- No anesthesia or hospitalization required
- Treats patients in 5 or fewer visits
- Reaches tumors from virtually unlimited directions with robotic mobility
- Enables clinicians to maximize and conform the dose to the tumor target
- Constantly tracks tumor movement throughout treatment
- Pinpoint Accuracy
- Few side effects and minimal radiation exposure to healthy tissue surrounding the tumor)
- Immediate return to daily activities
Brain Tumors
CyberKnife robotic stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) painlessly delivers precise beams of high-dose radiation to brain tumors and lesions, without incisions, hospitalization, or long recovery time. CyberKnife SRS is a non-invasive alternative to brain cancer surgery and can be used for brain tumors that are considered inoperable because of their location in the head, for those patients who cannot undergo brain cancer surgery due to their poor medical condition, or who refuse surgery. The CyberKnife System also can treat benign, or non-cancerous, tumors and other conditions, such as trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs).
Brain Tumor Types
- Acoustic Neuroma
- Anaplastic Astrocytoma
- Brain Metastases
- Chordoma
- Craniopharyngioma
- Ependymoma
- Gangliocytoma
- Germinoma
- Glioblastoma Multiforme
- Glioma
- Glomus Tumors
- Hemangioblastoma
- Meningioma
- Neurocytoma
- Neurofibroma
- Neurofibromatosis
- Oligodendroglioma
- Parotid SCCA
- Pituitary Adenoma
- Schwannoma
- Skull Base Tumors
- Vestibular Schwannoma
Key Advantages of CyberKnife
- Non-invasive, no incisions, painless
- No anesthesia or hospitalization required
- Treats patients in 5 or fewer visits
- Reaches tumors from virtually unlimited directions with robotic mobility
- Enables clinicians to maximize and conform the dose to the tumor target
- Constantly tracks tumor movement throughout treatment
- Pinpoint Accuracy
- Few side effects and minimal radiation exposure to healthy tissue surrounding the tumor
Lung tumors
CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery painlessly delivers precise beams of radiation to tumors and lesions, without requiring incisions, hospitalization, or long recovery time. It can serve as an effective lung cancer treatment and is an especially good option for patients with early stage lung cancer, complex tumors or patients who prefer a non-invasive way to treat their cancer.
The CyberKnife® System is the only radiation delivery system that incorporates Synchrony® Respiratory Management System technology and a flexible robotic arm. The Synchrony Respiratory Management System is a sophisticated software system that automatically adjusts the aim of the radiation beam to account for tumor movement because of respiratory motion (i.e. breathing). When treating non-small cell lung cancer, standard radiation delivery systems usually result in over exposure of radiation to healthy lung tissue because a large area must be treated to account for movement of the tumor due to breathing.
The CyberKnife System with Synchrony technology adjusts for movement of the tumor because of breathing, allowing for delivery of a maximum dose of radiation to the tumor, while minimizing the delivery of radiation to healthy tissue. The CyberKnife System is the only fully robotic radiation delivery system. This functionality enables the CyberKnife System to deliver uniquely angled radiation beams in many different directions. By precisely targeting the tumor, the CyberKnife System can deliver a maximum dose of radiation directly to the tumor with sub-millimeter precision, while minimizing radiation to nearby healthy organs and tissues.
Key Advantages of CyberKnife
- Treats patients in 5 or fewer visits, depending on tumor size, volume, and location
- Constantly corrects for patient/tumor movement throughout treatment, ensuring radiation beams are always locked on tumor during treatment
- Respiratory tracking feature requires no breath-holding or respiratory gating by patient
- Reaches tumors from virtually unlimited directions with robotic mobility
- Enables clinicians to maximize and conform the dose to the tumor target while limiting radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue
- Outpatient procedure, little or no recovery time and minimal side effects
- Requires no anesthesia
- Allows for an immediate return to normal activities
Metastatic Cancer
Bone
Bones are another common site for metastases, which occur when cancer cells from a primary cancer spread to the bone. Metastases can form small holes in the affected bone, which weaken the bone and increase the risk of fractures and other issues. Prostate, breast, and lung cancers are the most common sources of bone metastases, though almost any cancer has the ability to spread to the bones. CyberKnife is a non-surgical option for treating bone metastases and spinal tumors delivering targeted high-dose radiation to cancer cells while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue. Treatment is delivered in one to five sessions and no overnight hospital stay is required. While healthy tissue can be damaged with conventional radiation therapy for bone metastases, radiosurgery with CyberKnife spares normal tissue, which is particularly important when treating spinal metastases close to a critical structure, such as the spinal cord. CyberKnife radiosurgery has been shown to control tumor growth and provide pain relief.
Brain
The most common sources of metastases in the brain include lung, breast, and skin cancers, though almost any cancer has the ability to spread to the brain. Chemotherapy is not effective for treating metastatic brain tumors. Radiosurgery is. Unlike most radiosurgery systems, the CyberKnife doesn’t need an invasive head frame. Other radiosurgery systems are capable of high-dose radiation treatment. However, nearly all methods use a metal frame attached to the patient’s skull with screws that immobilize the head to accurately target the tumor. Local anesthetic is used for mounting the frames, though frames can be uncomfortable and painful to some extent.
The CyberKnife allows patients to receive a high dose of radiation in more than one treatment. Other systems do not. Known as fractionated radiosurgery, this method is particularly beneficial for patients who have previously received radiation therapy, as well as those with tumors near critical areas of the brain. CyberKnife radiosurgery delivers high-dose radiation while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue by precisely aiming multiple beams of radiation from many different angles. Therefore, radiosurgery is one the most aggressive and effective radiation treatments available for brain metastases. While whole-brain radiation therapy can require numerous treatments over several weeks, Cyberknife radiosurgery is usually completed one to five sessions and only treats the tumor(s), not the whole brain. CyberKnife radiosurgery also is used frequently for patients with more than one metastatic tumor, a condition that usually prevents surgery. CyberKnife can also be used after surgery to prevent regrowth or to treat a tumor that persists or regrows after surgery.
Liver
Liver metastases develop when a cancerous tumor from another part of the body spreads to the liver through the bloodstream. Common sources of metastases in the liver include colorectal, breast, esophageal, lung, pancreatic, and stomach cancer, though almost any cancer has the ability to spread to the liver. CyberKnife technology allows for real-time tracking of liver tumor motion, adjusting for movement during the treatment. CyberKnife’s ability to treat tumors with precisely focused radiation offers an important advantage for liver cancer patients. Accurate to within less than a millimeter, radiosurgery has minimal effect on surrounding healthy tissue. This level of accuracy enables doctors to target metastatic lesions in the liver with high-dose radiation. CyberKnife is given in five or less treatments over several days compared to 30-40 treatments over several weeks needed for standard radiation.
Lung
Lung metastases develop from cancer cells that spread from another cancerous tumor in the body, usually through the bloodstream or through the lymphatic system. Bladder, breast, colon, kidney, and prostate cancer can be the source of the metastatic lesion/tumor in the lung, CyberKnife technology tracks breathing, correcting for tumor movement during the treatment which allows treatment only to the tumor target, minimizing exposure to the surrounding healthy lung tissues and critical anatomy and causing fewer, if any, side effects. Patients are able to breathe normally and relax comfortably throughout the treatment.
Pancreatic Tumors
CyberKnife treats pancreatic cancer with high-dose radiation. Clinical studies are ongoing to test the CyberKnife’s effectiveness in treating localized, non-metastatic pancreatic cancer. However, preliminary results involving patients with relatively advanced cases of pancreatic cancer suggest that CyberKnife radiosurgery treatment is well tolerated and provides some clinical benefit.
Prior to treatment, doctors implant between three to five small metal markers known as fiducials in or near the tumor that enable the CyberKnife to pinpoint the tumor location throughout treatment. Implanting the markers is an outpatient procedure that takes about an hour. About a week later, patients are fitted with a custom body mold made of soft material that they lie on during treatments. The fitting process is painless. Patients then undergo a CT scan that assists in developing a customized treatment plan.
Prostate Cancer
Several effective treatment options exist today for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Each man’s particular cancer, overall health, age, and lifestyle will play an important role in determining which option seems most appropriate.
It is the precision of the CyberKnife System with its unique, robotic arm and continual tumor tracking throughout treatment, that make such a difference for patients. In fact, CyberKnife accuracy is sub-millimeter, meaning its pinpoint precision is within the thickness of a dime.
Spinal Tumors
Spine cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in or around the spinal cord resulting in a tumor. If the abnormal cells originated from cells in the tissues of the spine, this is a Primary Spine Tumor. Primary tumors in the spine are relatively rare and are either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).
If the abnormal cells originated in another part of the body, as in cancer originating in the lung, breast, colon or skin and were carried to the spine by the blood or other bodily fluid, growing into a tumor, then it is considered a Metastatic Spine Tumor. Both primary and metastatic spine tumors are very serious because they can compress the spinal cord and/or destroy the bone and surrounding tissue in the spine. These tumors cause patients to experience pain, gait and posture problems, and other neurological issues.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
<p>In the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (TN), pain management with medication is traditionally the first line of defense. While this approach can reduce the effects of the disorder, some patients may require or request additional treatment due to advanced pain or a desire to avoid side effects of current medication. In these cases, the patient may be a candidate for CyberKnife treatment.</p>
<p>CyberKnife is a non-invasive option for TN. High-dose radiation is accurately delivered by a linear accelerator mounted on a highly maneuverable robotic arm. The procedure is painless and typically performed in one outpatient treatment session. Unlike other stereotactic radiosurgery treatments, CyberKnife does not use a rigid metal frame secured to the patient’s head with screws. Instead, TN patients wear a comfortable mesh face mask. The CyberKnife delivers hundreds of highly concentrated and incredibly precise beams of radiation targeted directly to the trigeminal sensory nerve root, interrupting the transmission of pain signals to the brain.</p>
<p>CyberKnife is a non-invasive option for TN. High-dose radiation is accurately delivered by a linear accelerator mounted on a highly maneuverable robotic arm. The procedure is painless and typically performed in one outpatient treatment session. Unlike other stereotactic radiosurgery treatments, CyberKnife does not use a rigid metal frame secured to the patient’s head with screws. Instead, TN patients wear a comfortable mesh face mask. The CyberKnife delivers hundreds of highly concentrated and incredibly precise beams of radiation targeted directly to the trigeminal sensory nerve root, interrupting the transmission of pain signals to the brain.</p>