A brief comparison between Gamma Knife and CyberKnife procedures

Modern technology has not only helped us to treat medical cases that were termed as untreatable few years ago but also has also made it possible to perform surgeries without being cut open. Once treated through surgery, brain tumors are now treated without even making a single incision on the skull using various RadioSurgery procedures: Gamma Knife and CyberKnife being the most well-known of the lot.

Being the most sought after procedures for treating recurrent and inoperable tumors, their commonalities lie in using targeted radiation therapies to eliminate cancerous and non-cancerous tumors. However, there are some crucial differences about the way they operate and go about curing the malignant tumors. In order to fully grasp the essence of the difference let us know the working process of both procedures.

Comparison and Differences:

After completing initial scanning procedure to plan out the process, the patient is brought over to the Gamma knife table and his head is fixed up to a frame that automatically positions the target are to the radiation using cobalt-60 as its radiation source. A total number of 201 highly focused radiation beams are precisely targeted to the tumor in multiple bursts.

The CyberKnife procedure is more non-invasive in comparison with the Gamma Knife. Instead of fitting a rigid head frame to offset the head movements, the CyberKnife procedure relies on a more sophisticated motion tracking system with a robotic arm to identify the target area accurately. While the Gamma Knife delivers the desired radiation using simultaneous radiation beams (201 to be exact); CyberKnife procedure uses a single high dose with its robotic arm. No anesthesia is required for CyberKnife whereas small amounts of local anesthesia are essential for Gamma Knife procedure.

Though both the procedure are known for their sub-millimeter range accuracy, the flexible robotic arm in the CyberKnife procedure is better off for its limited exposure of the radiation to the surrounding tissue compared to Gamma Knife. Due to this same rigid hair frame, the scope of the Gamma Knife treatment option is limited too; it is predominately limited to treat tumors inside the skull. CyberKnife procedure is more versatile in this respect as it can be used to treat tumor anywhere in the body, all thanks to its sophisticated motion tracking technology.

The total treatment time of Gamma Knife is just over a day i.e. the whole planning and treatment take only a day making it more suitable for people with specific time constraints. In a case of CyberKnife treatments, the planning is done days before the actual procedure giving an ample time for the specialists. Smaller amounts of radiation doses are administered in multiple intervals making it easy for the patient too.