Apollo Specialty Cancer Hospital has now commenced treatment with CyberKnife. In the last two weeks since its clinical inauguration in March, over twelve patients with Intracranial, Spine, Lung and Prostrate tumours have undergone treatment with CyberKnife

The results on these patients are promising with this robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body with sub-millimetre accuracy. "We are working towards a goal of making all types of cancer curable," said Dr Prathap C Reddy during the clinical inauguration of the CyberKnife, initiated by Prof Dr John Adler, a pioneer in Cyberknife robotic radio surgery.

The advanced technology in CyberKnife uses real time image guidance and computer-controlled robotic. This helps to deliver extremely precise dose of radiation to targets, avoiding the surrounding healthy tissue and adjusting for patient and tumour movement during treatment. CyberKnife can treat by organ and by tumour targets located anywhere in the body. This is a breakthrough in the treatment of cancerous and non-cancerous tumours in the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas and kidney.

Benefits to patients are that it is a new treatment option. It can be used as an alternative to open surgery. Occasionally CyberKnife treatment can convert a technically inoperable tumour to operable. It is a pain free treatment and therefore does not require anaesthesia. Majority of CyberKnife treatments are out- patient procedures allowing them to continue their activities. The treatment provides higher level of comfort to the patients. Most of the available high precision radiation techniques require application of some kind of frame around patient's body. But in the case of CyberKnife it can spare the particular inconvenience for the patient.

Elaborating on patient benefits, Dr Janos Stumpf, director, Research, Oncology, Apollo Specialty Cancer Hospital said that many of the complications associated with other conventional cancer therapies are minimized or eliminated by the CyberKnife system. In addition, it is possible to treat multiple tumours at different locations in the body during a single treatment session. Patient normally experiences dramatic pain relief after the CyberKnife treatment."

All patients who undergo the CyberKnife treatment will go through the Apollo CyberKnife Advisory Board, stated Dr Reddy.