Studies support the use of the CyberKnife system as a safe and effective treatment option

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Accuray Incorporated has announced that studies presented at the 15th European Congress of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) in Prague, October 12 – 17, 2014 reinforce the benefits of the CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system for the treatment of neurological diseases such as meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, trigeminal neuralgia, and spinal tumours.

Alfredo Conti, neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of Messina in Italy is using the CyberKnife system to treat perioptic meningiomas. The flexibility of the CyberKnife system enabled by its unique architecture allows tumour control while preserving vision. The results Conti presented in a plenary session included a series of 64 patients with perioptic meningiomas treated in 2-5 fractions with CyberKnife schemes from July 2007–May 2010.

The study included two cohorts of patients with different tumour volumes. In one cohort, 25 patients with a small tumour volume (less than 5cc) were followed for an average of 60 months (+12 months). In the second cohort, 39 patients with a larger tumour volume (7.5cc) were followed for an average of 17 months (+10 months). No visual deterioration was observed and tumour control was achieved in all cases.

These results support the clinical benefits of CyberKnife treatment for perioptic meningiomas, and were achieved thanks to the ability to fractionate depending on the tumour volume and its proximity to the optic nerve.

“The CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system is able to treat safely and efficiently tumours with large volumes, in particular meningiomas, as well as acoustic neuromas,” says Alfredo Conti. “This is a real breakthrough because treating large tumours with radiosurgery in a single fraction is very challenging, and often not possible. Furthermore, treating tumours close to the optic nerves or other critical brain structures is sometimes very challenging for neurosurgeons and the CyberKnife system represents a safer and effective treatment option.”

A second study done by Pantaleo Romanelli, CyberKnife Center, Centro Diagnostico Italiano, Milan, Italy, evaluated the clinical benefits of the CyberKnife system as a treatment for patients with trigeminal neuralgia. A cohort of 103 patients was treated with a 60 Gy dose delivered in a single fraction by the CyberKnife system.

Results indicate that use of the CyberKnife system provides a safe and effective treatment option for people with trigeminal neuralgia. After six months, more than 90% of patients showed significant improvement in their symptoms. The system also provided an opportunity to successfully retreat 24 patients who had relapsed within two years from their first treatment.

Finally, at the Accuray symposium held in Prague at the 15th EANS congress, Alexander Muacevic, director of the Europäisches CyberKnife Zentrum in Munich, Germany, presented the extension of indications, such as spinal tumours, treated with the CyberKnife system. “The CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system is safe and effective in the treatment of spinal lesions. It treats with a sub-millimetre accuracy, which is crucial for tumour treatments all along the spine,” Muacevic comments.