CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System
More than 1,000 men have been treated for prostate cancer with Accuray's CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System. As the number of facilities worldwide offering CyberKnife treatments has grown more than 65 percent in the last year, the CyberKnife System is showing tremendous momentum as an alternative to surgery or other conventional prostate cancer treatments.
Prostate Cancer Treatment and Symptoms
September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in the United States, which began in 2005 as the Bush Administration renewed its commitment to fight prostate cancer by finding better ways to prevent, detect and treat a disease that is the leading cause of cancer death in men. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the United States and the second most common in men worldwide. The American Cancer Society estimates that almost 219,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year and more than 27,000 men will die from the disease.
"In this month dedicated to raising awareness about prostate cancer prevention and treatment, Accuray wants to make sure that people are well-informed about the variety of treatment options available to them today," said Eric Lindquist, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Accuray Incorporated. "More and more patients are turning to the Internet to find information on their cancer treatment options. And because of the CyberKnife System's success in treating prostate cancer non-invasively, many patients are referring themselves to CyberKnife centers for treatment."
Side effects often associated with prostate cancer treatments may include incontinence, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, anemia, nausea, bone pain and weakness. With the CyberKnife System, patients experience little to no side effects due to the System's ability to deliver high doses of radiation with extreme accuracy. The CyberKnife System's ability to track, detect and correct for tumor and patient movement during treatment, enables the CyberKnife System to avoid damaging surrounding healthy tissue and critical structures such as the urethra, rectum, prostate gland and neurovascular bundles responsible for the erectile function.
"Because CyberKnife treatments are non-invasive and the radiation delivery is extremely precise, patients lessen their likelihood of experiencing many of the life-altering side effects associated with conventional prostate cancer treatments," said Alan J. Katz, M.D. Director of Radiation Oncology, Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY. "With CyberKnife treatments we are seeing excellent tumor response with minimal to no complications or side effects."
The CyberKnife System also offers patients more convenience than conventional treatments. Because it safely uses high doses of radiation, treatment with the CyberKnife System can be completed in one to five outpatient sessions, each lasting about an hour. Radiation and chemotherapy can takes weeks or months to complete, while surgery requires a significant recovery period. With the CyberKnife System patients can typically return to their normal activities immediately following treatment.
"The diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer can have devastating, life-long effects on men," said Ron Spears, who was treated for prostate cancer with the CyberKnife System in 2006. "With the CyberKnife, doctors were able to successfully treat my prostate cancer in five easy, one-hour sessions. More importantly, I wasn't sidelined with a long recovery or painful complications. In fact, after each treatment, I'd go out for coffee and then head to the golf course to play 18 holes."
About the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System
The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is the world's only robotic radiosurgery system cleared by the FDA to treat tumors anywhere in the body non-invasively and with sub-millimeter accuracy. Using continual image guidance technology and computer controlled robotic mobility, the CyberKnife System automatically tracks, detects and corrects for tumor and patient movement in real-time throughout the treatment. This enables the CyberKnife System to deliver precise, high-dose radiation, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue and eliminating the need for invasive head or body stabilization frames.