At the Las Vegas CyberKnife® Center, your treatment involves a team approach in which several specialists participate.
- Imaging is the first step – Your clinicians will use a high-resolution CT scanner to determine the size, shape and location of your tumor. This imaging data is then digitally transferred to the CyberKnife System’s workstation, where treatment planning begins.
- Treatment planning – Your board-certified physician will use the CyberKnife software to generate your unique treatment plan, which prescribes the radiation dose directly to your tumor, protecting healthy surrounding tissues.
- Fiducial placement – Once the plan has been developed, you are ready to undergo treatment. The process of prostate cancer radiation treatment with the CyberKnifeSystem begins by placing the fiducial markers into the prostate. These tiny golden seeds help the CyberKnife System locate your tumor and track its movements.
- Custom Cradle – Next, your treatment team creates your treatment cradle, which is made from soft material that conforms to your shape. You will lie in the treatment cradle during each treatment session. It will help you maintain your physical position from one treatment to the next and ensure your comfort during treatments.
- Treatment – During treatment, you’ll lie still and relax as the robotic arm of the CyberKnife System moves around your body delivering targeted beam of radiation to your prostate from every angle. Each treatment session will last between 20 and 45 minutes, once per day for up to 5 days.
After each session, you can go home and typically resume your normal routine. You may experience some minimal side effects, but those often go away within the first week or two after treatment.