Accuray Incorporated, a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced that more than 12,000 courses of lung cancer treatment have been completed with CyberKnife radiosurgery. Usage of CyberKnife radiosurgery for lung cancer continues to grow, as illustrated by a 25 per cent increase year over year in calendar year 2009.

CyberKnife radiosurgery offers lung cancer patients a non-invasive means for treating their disease. The outpatient treatment is completed in five or fewer visits, and is both painless and non-surgical. Because the CyberKnife System utilizes continual image guidance along with continual correction for respiratory motion, it is able to deliver high-doses of radiation to the tumour from hundreds of angles with pinpoint precision.

Judith, a lung cancer survivor, shares her experience having been treated with both conventional lung cancer treatments and CyberKnife radiosurgery:

Judith was diagnosed with stage-IIIa lung cancer in the winter of 2004. At that time she received 12 rounds chemotherapy, 23 days of radiation therapy and surgery two weeks later to remove the upper lobe of her right lung. Recovery from her treatment was difficult, involving a 15 day hospital stay and four weeks of recovery at home. During a follow-up visit, some residual cancer was discovered leading her to undergo eight more rounds of chemotherapy. Judith hoped the worst of things were behind her and for almost three years they were.

Then in the summer of 2007 doctors found a recurrence of her cancer in a lymph node located deep in the centre of Judith’s chest. Since she had already undergone surgery and had received conventional radiation years prior and given the location of the cancer close to sensitive, vital structures in her chest, her thoracic surgeon suggested CyberKnife radiosurgery. Because of its extreme precision, the CyberKnife System is able to focus the radiation delivery on the tumor and avoid surrounding healthy tissue, meaning Judith was a candidate despite having previous radiation. Judith’s CyberKnife treatment was completed in four outpatient sessions. She was able to resume her daily activities after each treatment and got back to work right away. Nearly three years later Judith is doing well and has had no recurrences.

“The first time round, it was an eight month period of my life spent at the cancer center, so the second time, when I had the option to do four treatments over two weeks and be done, it was a no brainer,” said Judith. “With the CyberKnife there was no downtime and I didn’t experience any side effects. During the treatments I just lay comfortably on the treatment table and was able to watch the animal channel on a TV in the ceiling. It was a piece of cake compared to what I had been through already.

The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is the world’s only robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body non-invasively.

Accuray Incorporated is a global leader in the field of radiosurgery dedicated to providing an improved quality of life and a non-surgical treatment option for those diagnosed with cancer.