The Effectiveness of the CyberKnife System Confirmed by Research
The results demonstrated the method's effectiveness in the long term.
The CyberKnife system is a highly effective radiation therapy tool with a high degree of precision in radiation delivery. This device is equipped with an electronic correction system, and with the slightest micro-movement of the patient, it adjusts the beam direction, thus, the CyberKnife does not irradiate healthy tissues. The effectiveness of stereotactic radiation therapy has been confirmed by many studies, but the extent of its effectiveness over a long period was assessed for the first time.
For ten years, Accuray tracked the condition of patients who underwent stereotactic radiation therapy for prostate cancer. The study involved 230 patients who received tumor irradiation procedures using the "CyberKnife" system. All study participants underwent a course of 5 sessions, one session per day, ten years ago. In comparison, classical radiation therapy would have required thirty to forty sessions. The ten-year survival rate of patients was 93%.
Dr. Alan Katz, an expert in oncology treatment using radiation therapy, believes that the robotic radiosurgery system CyberKnife has shown impressive results, with its long-term effectiveness significantly exceeding that of conventional radiation therapy. A publication on this study appeared in the medical online journal "Cureus" (September 2017).
Challenges of Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer
During radiation treatment for this oncological condition, the automatic beam direction correction function provided by the CyberKnife system is very important. The fact is that during the irradiation session, the prostate gland can move unpredictably, creating a risk of irradiating healthy tissues instead of the tumor. With the use of the CyberKnife, errors are minimized: the system tracks the location of the neoplasm in real time, allowing the radiosurgeon to select the dosage and direction of irradiation most accurately. Thanks to ultra-precise local irradiation, it is possible to use higher doses, which reduces the number of sessions and the duration of the therapy course.
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Proven Effectiveness of the CyberKnife System
- 93% — this is the patient survival rate. Patients did not experience cancer symptoms for 10 years.
- Low risk of recurrence. Tests revealed a low percentage of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in patients who underwent irradiation with the CyberKnife 10 years ago. Its average level was 0.1 nanograms/ml, indicating a very low risk of disease recurrence or metastasis.
- Restoration of gastrointestinal and urinary system functions. If the functioning of these body systems was impaired immediately after therapy, they gradually recovered over the years. By the time of the study, ten years after radiation therapy, they had returned to normal levels.