Image Guided RadioSurgery in South Africa

In the image guided system, cameras and electromagnetic fields are used to capture and relay the patients’ anatomy to the surgical team. They are also used to guide the surgeon in his/her movement in relation to the patient during the surgery. The image-guided radiosurgery provides excellent functional and cosmetic preservation with minimal complication.

Different Radiosurgery Techniques

• Gamma Knife
• Accuracy (Cyberknife) - real-time tumor tracking
• Linac Based (DUMC)

Advantages of Image Guided Radiosurgery

• The surrounding healthy tissue is left intact
• The treatment does not take long to complete
• The image-guided radiosurgery treats hard to reach tumors
• The treatment is performed as an outpatient procedure

Example of the image-guided

An example of the image-guided radiosurgery treatment is the Stereotactic radiosurgery. It is a form of radiation therapy that uses high-energy beams and focuses them on a small area of the body. This kind of treatment is usually delivered by use of the CyberKnife system. The CyberKnife System accurately destroys the cancerous tumors and lesions by incorporating the use of image-guided robots. This precision spares normal, healthy tissue whilst the higher dosage offers improved chances for cure from cancer

Benefits of the Cyberknife radiosurgery treatment

• Uses software for image guidance in order to track and adjust the treatment for the patient or tumor movement.
• Does not require extreme procedures, such as rigid head frames screwed into the patient’s skull, to keep the patient in place
• CyberKnife treatment has unlimited reach to treat a broad range of tumors.
• Its ability to treat tumors with pinpoint accuracy is unrivaled by any other radiosurgery treatments.
• Tumors receive radiation from many angles hence minimizing damage to healthy tissues
• Eliminates the risks that are related to surgery
• Requires no recovery time
• Requires minimal sedation and there is no pain after the procedure.

Steps taken during the planning of the Image guided radiosurgery using the CyberKnife technique

• A CT scan is taken to the radiotherapy department
• MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (Positron emission tomography) scans of the area to be exposed to radiation treatment.
• The results of the scans are fed into the CyberKnife computer used in planning.
• The CyberKnife Software then designs the radiation beams that resemble the tumor to ensure that healthy tissue is not exposed to the radiation
• The skin is where the cancerous cells are marked to ensure only that area is treated during other sessions
• Where the radiotherapy is happening to your neck and head, a plastic mask or mould will be worn during treatment.

Follow up after the treatment

Follow up after the surgery is required in order to monitor the tumor’s progress.