Cooper CyberKnife Center

Treatment Process

All components of the CyberKnife Treatment process are performed on an outpatient basis. The process includes:

Planning for CyberKnife Treatment

Consultation
Each patient’s case is reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists. This team, in collaboration with the referring physician, determines the best treatment option for the patient. CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery can be used alone, or as part of a treatment plan that includes other cancer therapies.

Marker Placement
For some patients, a short outpatient procedure may be required to implant 1- 4 gold markers (fiducials) in or near the treatment area. These markers enable the CyberKnife System to align the pre-treatment and treatment images for greater dose delivery accuracy.

Scanning
Before treatment begins, patients undergo a CT scan to determine the tumor’s size, shape and location (and to identify the placement of the markers/fiducials). In some cases, additional imaging techniques may be required such as MRI, angiography or PET scan.

Planning
The scans are digitally transferred to the CyberKnife where physicians and the team use the system's software to determine the number, intensity and direction of radiation beams the robot will send to the target, while avoiding the surrounding healthy tissue. The patient does not need to be present during this step.

CyberKnife Treatment

Positioning
During the CyberKnife procedure, the patient lies comfortably still on the treatment table with supportive positioning devices.

Verification
During the treatment process, the image-guided system verifies the location and compares it to the original scans. It is at this point the computer uses the markers to align the scans and accurate identify the treatment area.

Dose delivery and tumor tracking
Once the patient has been positioned and the treatment area has been identified and confirmed, the CyberKnife robot moves slowly around the patient to deliver radiation from many directions. When tumor movement is detected due to breathing or any body movement, the robot immediately and automatically adjusts the dose delivery. Throughout the treatment, the built-in imaging system periodically confirms the tumor’s position to ensure the radiation is delivered precisely as planned. Generally, no sedation or anesthesia is required. The entire procedure typically lasts 30-90 minutes. Patients typically have from one to five treatments depending on the location of the lesion and the specific type of lesion.

After Your CyberKnife Treatment

The patient can usually leave the center and resume normal activity immediately after their treatment. However some patients may feel a little tired or fatigued after the treatment(s). Once the treatment is complete, patients usually have follow-up imaging scans to assess the tumor’s response to the radiation.

For more information about the Cooper CyberKnife Center or to schedule an appointment with a Cooper University Physician, please call 1-800-8-COOPER (1-800-826-6737) to speak with a member of our physician referral and information service.

Our Location

Mount Laurel Cooper CyberKnife Center 715 Fellowship Road Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054 Appointments (856) 638-1180 View details, directions & map   The Cooper CyberKnife Center is conveniently located on Fellowship Road, a short distance from the intersection of Fellowship Road and Church Road, on the right.