The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System supplied by Accuray Inc. has attracted a great deal of interest from patients since it was introduced in April 2012 at Kuopio University Hospital’s Cancer Center in eastern Finland. As the operators of the only CyberKnife system in the Nordic countries, the hospital has also received many inquiries about CyberKnife treatment from outside the region.
According to Accuray Inc., the CyberKnife System offers patients a non-invasive, personalized option for treatment of tumors throughout the body, including brain, spine, lung, prostate, liver, pancreas and breast tumors. The treatment delivers beams of high dose radiation to tumors with extreme accuracy.
“When looking for ways to expand our radiation oncology offerings, we looked for technology capable of effectively treating tumors anywhere in the body while sparing normal tissue, critical structures and preserving the quality of life for patients,” said Jan-Erik Palmgren, medical physicist and CyberKnife project lead at Cancer Center, Kuopio University Hospital. “We found that the CyberKnife System allows us to offer an effective alternative to surgery for patients seeking a non-surgical option or for those who may be poor surgical candidates.”
Treatment by the robot requires 1-5 visits by the patient compared to up to 30 visits when using conventional radiation therapy. Kuopio University Hospital reports that no side effects have been observed despite the more intensive treatment periods, and patients have been pleased that the treatment has been shorter than they expected. The largest patient group treated with the CyberKnife system in Kuopio has consisted of prostate cancer patients.
