Prague already has a cybernetic knife. The device also irradiates hard-to-reach tumors in the body
Jana Kolářová, 64, is also being treated at ÚVN for benign tumors of the brain. “At first I suspected a facial nerve palsy because my right lip began to tingle. My neurologist found out that something was wrong and in the end that I was just, “describes the patient.
The three-inch tumor pressed against the nerves in the brain, causing uncomfortable tingling and twitching in the face. “The tumor in patients grows through structures where there are oculomotor nerves and trigeminal nerves, it was irritated,” explains its doctor and head of the Department of Neurosurgery and Neurooncology of the 1st Medical Faculty of Charles University and ÚVN David Netuka.
While the operation was too risky for Jana Kolářová, irradiation with a cybernetic knife can help her treatment. The unique device, which is only the second in the country after the University Hospital Ostrava, enables accurate and targeted irradiation of tumor cells even in hard-to-reach areas.
CyberKnife could help Jana Kolářová with the treatment of a three-centimeter brain tumor.
Photo: News
Helps stop tumor growth
“The device really illuminates a specific tumor tissue with millimeter accuracy and at the same time saves the surrounding healthy tissues. The main goal of this treatment is to stop the growth of the findings, “describes neurosurgeon Netuka. Thanks to the new device, doctors at ÚVN have already treated or are preparing about 40 patients for treatment.
One session usually lasts about half an hour, usually patients have to repeat one to five times depending on the size and tumor. Jana Kolářová has already completed her third irradiation with the device. But before she could lie under the cybernetic knife, the affected area had to be mapped.
“Patients will be given a special mask to help fix their heads during the procedure. Then we will scan the area to be treated and the scanning will be performed using magnetic resonance imaging, ”describes Ferdinand Třebický, head of the radiation therapy department at the Central Hospital. This is how the “map” was created, which then serves to create a plan for how to target and dose the radiation.
During the procedure, the head of the cybernetic knife moves around the patient’s tumor and irradiates it from several sides.
Photo: News
Targeted irradiation can replace several weeks of treatment
The irradiation emits a special cybernetic knife head, which is on the movable arm. Thanks to it, the rays can irradiate the lesion, in the case of a patient a tumor, even if more than a few angles. This reduces the load on the healthy cells that cover the beam path, and the bearing also receives a dose of radiation from all sides.
“The biggest benefit of a cyber knife is a really targeted high dose with a powerful treatment of the surrounding healthy tissues,” adds Třebický. One high dose can replace about 35 days of therapy, ie 6 to 7 weeks of standard treatment.
The cybernetic knife can aim the radiation directly at the bearing so as not to damage the surrounding healthy tissues (illustration).
Photo: Accuray Incorporated
And Mrs. Kolářová also praises the treatment. “I just lie down and listen to music during the irradiation. No pain and discomfort. I feel like Alice in Wonderland, I’m excited about it and I believe it will help me, “the patient describes, adding that the advantage is also that the procedure is outpatient and the patient can leave almost immediately and without major side effects.
It can help treat tumors in the gases or in the spine
According to Třebický, a cybernetic knife can basically irradiate deposits up to 5 centimeters in size. CyberKnife works similarly to a gamma knife, but is not limited to irradiating damaged tissues in the brain.
Thanks to the moving head, scanning detectors and complicated computer technology, it can precisely target, for example, tumors in the abdominal cavity or lungs, which change their position when breathing. It is also suitable for irradiating bone tumors and hard-to-reach places in the spine or spinal cord.
The cybernetic knife has been available at the ÚVN since mid-October.
Photo: News
But it doesn’t have to be just tumors. “Irradiation is also used to treat pain or in case of vascular anomalies in the brain or spine,” adds Netuka.
“Thanks to the cyber knife, we have a valuable range of treatments at our disposal. For some patients we choose monitoring, for a large part of the operation, but we always have targeted exposure available. And if necessary, we can choose the best irradiation for a particular patient, ”explains Netuka, adding that targeted irradiation is not suitable for everyone.