MedStar Health: CyberKnife at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

The non-surgical CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System destroys tumors using highly precise, targeted radiation, with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Unlike conventional prostate radiation therapy which can take up to 40 sessions, CyberKnife, also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), is complete after only five treatments.

CyberKnife uses a combination of robotics, image guidance systems, and computers to deliver highly concentrated doses of radiation to the prostate while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. CyberKnife is the only stereotactic robotic radiosurgery system on the market that adjusts for patient or tumor movement during treatment (intrafraction motion), making it especially suitable for the prostate and convenient for you.

• CyberKnife treatment begins with the implantation in the prostate of four tiny gold fiducials that act as markers or targets for the system’s missile-like rays.
• Afterward, a team of experienced physicians uses MRIs, CT scans, and three-dimensional technology to pinpoint the location of your cancer and adjacent critical structures to create a treatment plan.
• A week or two later, you will return for five days of therapy over one to two weeks, with each treatment lasting about 30 minutes.
• You are usually able to resume your normal activities almost immediately.
• Follow-up consists of regularly scheduled PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests and monitoring.

Learn more about CyberKnife

No. Despite its name, CyberKnife radiosurgery is not a surgical procedure. It is a non-invasive approach to delivering radiation therapy that does not require incisions, anesthesia, or hospitalization.

Most people are candidates for CyberKnife, but it is an especially good option if you:

• Have an early-stage, localized tumor confined to the prostate
• Have a lesion or tumor that is untreatable by surgery or other radiation modalities
• Have previously undergone radiation treatments
• Are elderly or otherwise in compromised health
• Have inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or colitis
• Are on blood thinners

Your prostate cancer team will evaluate your specific cancer and overall health before recommending the treatment option that will work best for you. If CyberKnife is not right for you, you’ll benefit from access to a full range of other radiation therapies and cancer treatments available at MedStar Georgetown, including innovative clinical trials.

When treating prostate cancer, each treatment lasts about an hour. Patients are usually able to resume their normal activities almost immediately after each session. Follow-up care consists of regularly scheduled PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests and monitoring.

Recent research has proven that higher doses of radiation decrease the chance of prostate cancer recurring. CyberKnife’s laser-like accuracy can deliver those highly concentrated doses while avoiding nearby healthy tissue, including such critical structures as the bladder and rectum leading to fewer side effects.

Other studies—including national, multi-institutional protocols, many conducted at MedStar Health—indicate that CyberKnife is as effective as other radiation therapies for treating low-and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients. Another study shows that CyberKnife produces quality-of-life outcomes equivalent to or better than IMRT or seed therapy. As an added benefit, CyberKnife treatment is completed within only five visits.