The body of a healthy person works like a clock. But once an organ gets sick, the whole body fails. Most often, various ailments become the cause of the problems, and the most dangerous among them are oncological ones. It is in the fight against them that mankind regularly develops new methods and equipment that can defeat cancer. One of these is the Cyber āāKnife. Reviews of operated patients who managed to stop the tumor make you think and inspire hope. We will talk more about this effective treatment later.
What is a cyber knife?
The device, which is popularly called the āspatial scalpelā, is a specialized radiosurgical equipment designed to get rid of diverse pathological neoplasms of the brain and cranial cavity. According to experts, it works on the basis of x-rays, and a high-precision linear accelerator is used as a radiation source.
Summary of device origin
The first Cyber-knife (reviews of those operated using this system can be found in this article) was developed in early 1992. Its creator was the American professor John Adler, who previously taught at Stanford University.
While working on the system, the inventor set himself the goal of overcoming the existing shortcomings characteristic of the devices already known to the world in the field of radiosurgery. At the same time, he managed to combine an image control system with a controlled robotic āarmā.
Seven years after a series of tests, the device finally worked, and the very first patients were people with a swelling of the neck and head. After successfully conducting more than a hundred operations, the system has proved itself to be excellent. And since people felt better after the Cyber-knife, it was decided to expand the capabilities of the unit. Exactly five years later, it was already in full swing used to treat neoplasms of any localization.
How does the system work and structure?
A linear accelerator, or Cyber-knife, is usually located on a special console of the robot. According to the developers, it has about six degrees of freedom, allowing to provide 1,200 positions for the x-ray beam in the process of irradiation.
The radiation itself is carried out using a mobile robotic āarmā, which easily redirects a beam of rays to a tumor in need of treatment. At the same time, a computerized console allows you to track the location of the neoplasm taking into account its possible change, for example, in the process of patientās breathing.
What can be done with a cyber knife?
Unlike other similar equipment, the Cyber-knife operation allows not only eliminating the tumor without surgical intervention, but also makes it possible to get rid of metastases in all parts of the body, including those responsible for the respiratory system. With the help of a āknifeā, the following neoplasms can be eliminated:
- a brain tumor;
- liver and lung cancer;
- primary oncology of the spinal cord;
- arteriovenous malformation ;
- trigeminal neuralgia;
- auditory nerve neuromas;
- swelling of the larynx, orbit, and carotid sinus;
- neck and head cancer;
- primary oncological formations of the sinuses of the nose, oral cavity and nasopharynx;
- tumors of the kidneys and female genital organs;
- tumors of the retroperitoneal space;
- prostate cancer.
A cyber knife (reviews of operated patients will help you learn more about the postoperative period) is also used in the treatment of recurrent tumors located in previously irradiated areas of the body. Moreover, at the same time there is a chance to localize several tumor foci at once.
When can I use the device?
As it turned out, not all malignant and benign neoplasms can be treated with a Cyber-knife. According to experts, the oncological growth or lesion should not exceed 4-5 cm. And in the presence of metastases, the patient must undergo an additional histological examination in order to verify the condition of the lesion.
In addition, the general physical condition of the cancer patient should be stable, which will allow him to lie for a long time without movement during the procedure.
How does the preparation process for treatment take place?
Before the Cyber-Knife will be used (the reviews of the operated patients confirm this), patients are waited for by a professional consultation of an oncologist-radiotherapist in one of the clinics where this treatment method works. At the second stage, the patient is recommended to undergo a simple topometry procedure performed on a CT apparatus. According to experts, it must be done in order to determine the location of the neoplasm.
In the third stage, as a rule, radiation modeling takes into account healthy organs and tissues surrounding the tumor. And finally, after all this, the patient expects one or more sessions of irradiation with the Cyber-knife system.
Is hospitalization required during treatment?
Regardless of whether you chose the Burdenko hospital or any other clinic in Moscow and outside the Russian Federation, treatment with the use of a Cyber-knife does not require mandatory hospitalization. According to experts, the irradiation process is carried out on an outpatient basis. It follows that after the procedure the patient leaves the medical institution and can safely return to his usual mode of life.
What is the duration of treatment?
Depending on each individual case, the course of radiation therapy is 1-5 sessions. Moreover, each of them takes about 30-120 minutes. The number of required repetitions is set and monitored by the attending physician.
What are the benefits of treatment?
Among the main advantages of using radiation equipment called Cyber āāKnife, the following can be distinguished:
- carries out the operation without leaving traces on the mucous membranes and skin;
- removes neoplasms without pain;
- does not require an additional set of rehabilitation procedures;
- involves free breathing and a comfortable position of the patient's body during treatment;
- does not require surgical intervention and the use of anesthesia;
- involves convenient fixation of the body and head during treatment;
- Helps to get rid of malignant neoplasms of almost any localization;
- provides for a second course of treatment after previously used radiation therapy.
Well, of course, each patient has the right to choose the clinic that he will like. Where is cyber knife therapy practiced? In Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk there are complexes where such services are provided to patients.
Are there any disadvantages of treatment?
Despite the whole list of significant advantages, the Cyber-knife system has several disadvantages. And the first of them is that the effect of the applied treatment itself does not appear immediately. The first signs of positive changes in the patient's condition can be observed 2-3 months after exposure. At the same time, some tumors stop in growth and gradually disappear, while in others, the recovery process takes much longer. Moreover, to monitor the patientās condition, specialists insist on periodic CT and MRI scans performed once every six months.
The second important minus is the Cyber-knife (in Burdenko this equipment is in the treatment and diagnostic centers of the hospital) is not able to eliminate some types of malignant neoplasms. These include tumors that exceed the maximum equipment limit (6x6 cm).
In addition, the undeniable disadvantage is the presence of a huge queue for treatment. This is due to the low capacity of the centers (2-3 patients per day). And finally, many cancer patients are finally upset by the price of procedures, which is several times higher than the cost of ordinary radiotherapy.
Where can I find equipment?
Despite the uniqueness of this equipment, you can not find it in all medical institutions. According to the manufacturer, at present there are about 250 Cyber-knife installations in the world. Most of them are in US clinics, followed by Japan, followed by countries in Europe and Asia. For example, there is a device at the P. A. Herzen Moscow Research Institute , located at 2nd Botkinsky Prospect, 3.
This institute employs qualified specialists with vast experience in treating patients suffering from cancer with varying degrees of severity. If you are interested in the Cyber-knife system (the cost of treatment depends on the availability of related services), you can always sign up for a preliminary consultation on the website of the organization Mnioi.ru.
In search of professional medical care using the innovative CyberKnife system, you can contact one of the clinics of the federal network of nuclear medicine centers PET Technology. They are located in Moscow, Ufa, Yekaterinburg, Lipetsk, Orel and Tambov. You can get to the specialists by calling the hotline: +8 (800) 70 70 300.
Another institution where CyberKnife treatment is practiced is the Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital. He is located in Moscow at the address: Hospital Square, 3. For an appointment with specialists, the telephone of the organizationās hot line is working: +8 (499) 263 53 00.
The approximate cost of treatment in Russian clinics will cost you from 150 to 700 thousand rubles (approximately 2109.00 and 9841.98 euros). For comparison: the price of such a radiosurgical intervention in German clinics will cost you 5-12 thousand euros, in Israel - 15-30 thousand dollars, in China - 20-24 thousand dollars, and in US centers - 10-20 thousand dollars .
Cancer Treatment in Israel
Of course, a system using a āspatial scalpelā is widespread abroad. For example, she is in Israel, at the Ichilov Medical Center. Diagnosis and treatment of cancers of the skin, lungs, trachea, prostate gland, kidneys, and genitourinary system are performed here.
They work according to the Cyber-knife system in another Israeli clinic - Top Assuta. It also diagnoses and treats tumors of the brain, kidneys, lungs, pancreas and stomach, liver, prostate and other organs.
Cancer treatment is ongoing in Israel and at the NetOnco Clinic. In this institution, you can get rid of forty different tumor formations, including chordomas, hemangiomas, cavernomas and others.
What do patients say about the system?
Reviews on innovative equipment Cyber-knife can be heard a variety of. For example, one user is immensely grateful to the Moscow center, where her father was treated for stage 3-4 prostate cancer. According to her, after several procedures the patient feels well.
Another claims that his condition is still uncertain, since two weeks have not yet passed since treatment. He emphasizes that there were no scars and scars from the irradiation process, and the legās working capacity, which previously had failed, was restored.