CyberKnife® for Pancreatic Cancer
CyberKnife® units are currently getting a lot of requests for patients seeking a treatment for pancreaticRelating to the pancreas. cancerAbnormal, uncontrolled cell division resulting in a malignant tumour that may invade surrounding tissues or spread to distant parts of the body.. The new stereotactic radiosurgery system (CyberKnife) lends itself particularly well to treating this form of cancer, however, it is normally limited for those people who have otherwise inoperable cancer. The second most important criterion is that there is no spread of the disease. At the momentIn physics it is the tendency of a force to twist or rotate another object, patients being selected for the new treatment are initially assessed by a multidisciplinaryRelating to a group of healthcare professionals with different areas of specialisation. cancer team and provided that there is no spread and the cancer is otherwise inoperable the chances are good that they will receive CyberKnife.
Dr Nick Plowman explains the new treatment in his expert article. He says: “Hundreds of pencil beams aimed from various “node stations” located on a virtual sphere around the patient all concentrate the radiationEnergy in the form of waves or particles, including radio waves, X-rays and gamma rays. on the target. This dosing is accurately delivered to exactly conform with the high dose deposition required around and within the perimeter of even the most irregular shaped target. There is also a fast dose fall off at the edge of the tumourAn abnormal swelling., which means that healthy tissueA group of cells with a similar structure and a specialised function. is safe guarded. Therefore, tumours either in the head or body can now be accurately pinpointed and receive a high sterilising radiation dose.
