>>— Decades ago, suitcase-size devices like this one were hauled by backpack to remote spots to inspect the integrity of steel on bridges or other construction. Today, this modern version of those small particle accelerators attached to a robot can save lives, Dr. Diane Heaton said.
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The CyberKnife also differs from Gamma Knife and others in that it can adjust to movement of the patient’s body, even movement caused by breathing. That adjustment is made by first obtaining a high-resolution, three-dimensional image of the patient’s body using a CT scan. That scan allows a physician to identify the cancerous tissue. The CyberKnife software then develops a plan to direct the photon beams.
Another advantage is that patients who have had radiation treatments previously still can be helped with a CyberKnife treatment, Heaton said. Results have been impressive, she said.
"I’ve seen tumors literally go down by half in two or three days,” she said. "I’ve had patients on oxygen who, after treatment, were off oxygen.”
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