from BBC News:

Cyberknife boost to cancer care

By Fergus Walsh
BBC News medical correspondent

Dr Nick Plowman says the cyberknife can target cancer cells with 'high exactitude'

A robot radiotherapy machine to treat cancer is to be available in the UK for the first time from February.

Called the Cyberknife, it moves with a patient's breathing so tumours can be targeted with greater accuracy, and damage to healthy tissue is reduced.

The machine will be at the private Harley Street Clinic in London.

More than a dozen countries worldwide already use the machine, including France, which has three under clinical trial.

...

The cyberknife minimises damage to healthy tissue

Good results

The French National Cancer Institute has paid for three Cyberknife machines to be trialled at hospitals in Nice, Nancy and Lille.

Professor Eric Lartigau from the Centre Oscar Lambret in Lille said he was very impressed.

He said: "We have been treated just over 200 patients in 18 months and all couldn't have been treated with conventional radiotherapy so its a big plus for our patients."

...

Professor Eric Lartigau is impressed by the technology

Clinical director Dr Nick Plowman, who is also a consultant oncologist at Barts Hospital, does not believe that Britain is lagging behind.

He said: "It is only in the past couple of years that the software has got to the stage where we believe it is right for introduction to our clinical service.

"So we don't believe we have been tardy; we have been waiting for the improvements to come and now they're here we are happy to introduce the machine."

...

In early February, the first Cyberknife in the UK will begin treating patients at the private Harley Street Clinic in London.