About CyberKnife®

Leading the Way in Cancer Treatment

After you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, some of the first questions on your mind might be “how life threatening is my diagnosis?” and “what do I have to do to fight back?” These questions are scary and the answers uncertain, but when it comes to the fight against cancer, we have the answers. Our team of cancer care experts is in your corner to fight cancer for you, so you can return to the life and activities you love. And with CyberKnife®, you can receive cancer treatment and return to your daily activities faster than ever before.

Southeast Georgia Health System is proud to be one of only four centers in Georgia to offer this nonsurgical treatment option for cancer patients and the only center in Georgia to offer the CyberKnife M6 series.

CyberKnife M6 Technology

Since 2011, Southeast Georgia Health System has been treating tumors and cancer patients with CyberKnife, but as of November 2017, the Health System became the first and only center in Georgia to offer the CyberKnife M6 series. Compared to the original CyberKnife technology, the M6 series delivers shorter treatment with enhanced precision, a result of new multi-leaf collimation (MLC). The new MLC features a rectangular head that uses 26 small, thin, leaf pairs to conform radiation beams to match the shape of non-spherical tumors. This improvement to the original CyberKnife allows for highly individualized treatment with tighter margins and expands the number of tumor sites that can be treated.

How CyberKnife Works

Discovering that you have cancer is an intimidating diagnosis, but at Southeast Georgia Health System, you can breathe a little easier knowing that our cancer care experts are on your team to fight for your life. And we have the most innovative and advanced tools at our disposal to ensure that you receive quality treatment as well as quality care. One of those tools is the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System.

The benefits of CyberKnife range from no pain to shorter recovery times. We bring together a team of cancer care experts, from surgeons to radiation oncologists, to provide you with collaborative, personalized treatment utilizing CyberKnife technology.

CyberKnife treatment comes in four phases:

• Tumor Location
  Before the cancer is treated, you will undergo imaging scans (such as a CT scan, MRI or a PET scan) to locate the tumor and determine its size and shape.
• Surgery Planning
  The tumor’s location and dimensions are digitally transferred to CyberKnife. Our physicians can access this information and create a plan to destroy the tumor while protecting the healthy tissue around it.
• Advanced Radiation Therapy
  You will lie on a table specifically designed to keep you in the correct position. The treatment aims high-dose radiation beams at the tumor, with pinpoint accuracy. This treatment lasts a maximum of one hour, and the process is often completed within three to five visits.
• Follow-Up Imaging
  After treatment, you will undergo a variety of imaging scans to measure how successful the treatment was at removing the tumor.

Throughout every step of the treatment process, you will be updated on what to expect, as well as next steps and results. Our team of multidisciplinary specialists are passionate about creating longer, healthier lives for each and every patient, so you can be confident that when you choose Southeast Georgia Health System for your cancer treatment, you’re not only choosing the best, most innovative cancer treatment available, you’re also choosing a team to implement that treatment who cares about you, your family and your quality of life.

For more information about CyberKnife treatment, get in touch with our CyberKnife nurse navigator at 1-800-537-5142 ext. 5149.