How Does The Cyberknife System Work?
- An advanced lightweight linear accelerator (LINAC) - this device is used to produce high energy ‘killing’ beams of radiation
- A robot – this can point the linear accelerator from a wide variety of angles
- X-Ray Cameras – Several X-Ray cameras are able to obtain frequent pictures of the patient during the treatment session. They use this information to target the radiation beam with sub-millimetre accuracy.
The use of the robot in the Cyberknife System is vital in delivering radiation beams accurately whilst monitoring patient movement during the treatment. Any change in the position of the patient is detected by the cameras and then the robot adjusts its position to allow re-targeting of the linear accelerator before delivering the radiation beam. Use of the robot ensures that there is no need to manually reposition the patient during treatment as a result of movement, thereby slowing down the treatment process.