CyberKnife Patients

CyberKnife radiosurgery is offered at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, making it the only place in the Knoxville area to receive the treatment. The CyberKnife team consists of highly skilled professionals to ensure the best patient-centered care. As you go through the CyberKnife treatment, you will have questions and concerns that your healthcare provider will help you with. Below are general steps that you will follow during your CyberKnife treatment. The team at UT Medical Center will assist in explaining your treatment and making your CyberKnife experience as comfortable and seamless as possible. Remember to always ask questions if you do not understand a process or instructions!

I am having a Brain or Neck treatment.
I am having a Soft Tissue treatment.

Brain or Neck:

The following are steps to help walk you through your CyberKnife experience at UT Medical Center.

Step 1: Consultation with the radiation oncologist. After your surgeon/physician has determined you may be a candidate for CyberKnife treatment, you will meet with a radiation oncologist who will confirm if this is the appropriate treatment for you. After reviewing your medical record and imaging studies, he will discuss treatment options as well as discuss the risks/benefits and CyberKnife treatment process with you.

Step 2: Setting up your treatment. You will come to the CyberKnife Center to have a custom-fit mesh face mask made that will help minimize movement during treatment delivery. The fitting is a painless process that will take less than 30 minutes. Once the mask is complete, a radiation therapist will accompany you to radiology for a special planning CT. An MRI or other imaging studies may be necessary as well.

• Allow two hours for the entire process, but extra time will be necessary if other studies need to be performed.
• When scheduling this appointment, you will receive instructions regarding the CT. You may be given IV contrast (dye). Please let the staff know immediately if you are allergic to the dye.
• We will discuss with you the need for any premedication for treatment such as sedatives or pain medications. Please make us aware of any particular concerns you may have.

 

Step 3: Planning your treatment. Once your CT / studies are complete, the radiation oncologist and surgeon will review them in great detail in order to plan your CyberKnife treatment. Planning considerations include the location of the lesion, proximity to critical organs and the number, intensity and direction of radiation beams.

When the physicians have completed their work, the physicists will finish the treatment planning. Be aware that this may take anywhere from seven to 10 days. When the planning is complete, a date and time for treatment(s) will be scheduled. The nurse coordinator will be in touch with you during this time and will confirm with you the treatment date(s) and time(s).

Step 4: Your CyberKnife treatment. Below are some general instructions for the day of your treatment.

• Come with a driver the day of your treatment. You are not allowed to drive for 24 hours after treatment.
• Take any medications prescribed specifically for treatment according to directions on the prescription(s). You may take your daily medications as usual with the exception of diuretics (water pills) – this medicine should be withheld until after treatment.
• Wear comfortable clothing. A blanket can be provided for warmth, if needed.
• Come directly to the CyberKnife Center (no need to stop in Registration).
• Allow approximately two hours. However, treatment times can vary, but most take about one hour.
• You will receive written discharge instructions. Always ask questions if you do not understand a process or instructions!

 

A typical treatment begins with the patient lying on the treatment table wearing the mesh mask. Before beginning the radiation treatment, the imaging system acquires X-rays of the patient position. The robotic arm then moves and re-targets from different positions around the patient. At each angle, a precise, invisible radiation beam is delivered; this process is repeated numerous times during treatment. The image-guidance system utilizes bony landmarks to track the exact location of the tumor during treatment. This system ensures precise, accurate radiation delivery. At various intervals, additional X-rays are obtained, which allow CyberKnife to correct for patient movement.

The entire process is painless and usually lasts 45 to 90 minutes. Typically, patients can return home and resume normal activities immediately following treatment. If the treatment plan calls for more than one treatment session (staged radiosurgery), the radiation therapists will schedule the appointment times with you.

Step 5: Your follow up. You will be given appointments to follow up with the radiation oncologist and surgeon.

Always ask questions if you do not understand a process or instructions!

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Soft Tissue:

The following are steps to help walk you through your CyberKnife experience at UT Medical Center.

 

Step 1: Consultation with the radiation oncologist. After your surgeon/physician has determined you may be a candidate for CyberKnife treatment, you will meet with a radiation oncologist who will confirm if this is the appropriate treatment for you. After reviewing your medical record and imaging studies, he will discuss treatment options as well as discuss the risks/benefits and CyberKnife treatment process with you.

Step 2: Fiducial placement is done on an outpatient basis either by your surgeon in a surgery suite or by an interventional radiologist in the radiology department. Your surgeon will discuss the fiducial placement procedure with you.

*If fiducials are placed in surgery you will be scheduled for a pre-anesthesia consult which will be done on a day prior to fiducial placement.

Day of fiducial placement.

• Plan on spending several hours or most of the day.
• You will not be allowed to eat or drink six to 12 hours prior to the procedure.
• You will need someone to drive you that day.
• You may experience some minor discomfort after fiducial placement.

 

Step 3: Your CyberKnife treatment. Below are some general instructions for the day of your treatment.

• Come with a driver the day of your treatment.
• Take any medications prescribed specifically for treatment. You may take your daily medications as usual with the exception of diuretics (water pills) – this medicine should be withheld until after treatment.
• Wear comfortable clothing. A blanket can be provided for warmth, if needed.
• Come directly to the CyberKnife Center (no need to stop in Registration).
• Allow approximately two hours. However, treatment times can vary, but most take about one hour.
• You will receive written discharge instructions. Always ask questions if you do not understand a process or instructions!

 

A typical treatment begins with the patient lying on the treatment table using his custom-fit body cradle. Before beginning the radiation treatment, the imaging system acquires X-rays of the patient position. The robotic arm then moves and re-targets from different positions around the patient. At each angle, a precise, invisible radiation beam is delivered; this process is repeated numerous times during treatment. The image-guidance system uses the implanted fiducials to track the exact location of the tumor during treatment. This system ensures precise, accurate radiation delivery. At various intervals, additional X-rays are obtained, which allow CyberKnife to correct for patient movement.

The entire process is painless and usually lasts 45 to 90 minutes. Typically, patients can return home and resume normal activities immediately following treatment. If the treatment plan calls for more than one treatment session (staged radiosurgery), the radiation therapists will schedule the appointment times with you.

Step 4: Your follow up. You will be given appointments to follow up with the radiation oncologist and surgeon.

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Always ask questions if you do not understand a process or instructions!