Step 6: Treatment Delivery

After the treatment is carefully planned, the patient returns for treatment. During treatment, the patient is fitted with the custom plastic mask (for cranial tumors) or body cradle (for spinal tumors/lesions or other extracranial tumors such as lung or pancreas) and lies on the treatment couch. Prior to starting the actual radiation treatment, the imaging system acquires an x-ray image of the patient's position. This information is compared with the information gathered from the CT scan and is used to move the linear accelerator to the correct position.

This process is repeated at 50 to 200 different positions around the patient to complete the treatment. At various intervals, the robot stops and additional x-ray images are obtained, thereby allowing the CyberKnife to track and compensate for small amounts of patient movement.

The entire process is painless, and it typically takes between 30 to 60 minutes for cranial treatments. Typically, a patient can go home immediately after treatment and return to normal activities. If the treatment plan calls for staged (fractionated) radiosurgery, the patient will return another day and repeat the above process.

On the day of your appointment, wear comfortable clothing and no jewelry. Try to relax knowing this is a painless procedure. We encourage you to bring relaxing music to listen to during treatment.

Feel free to bring a list of questions to ask the CyberKnife team. They are there to ensure your comfort and safety.

During treatment, you will be cared for by a nurse, CyberKnife therapist or physicist, radiation oncologist and your surgeon.