Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center exclusively offers the CyberKnife® stereotactic radiosurgery system in Connecticut. CyberKnife is the world's most accurate, real time, full-body radiosurgery system, employing image-guided robotics to deliver focused radiation to painlessly eradicate tumors, lesions and vascular abnormalities with sub-millimeter precision.

CyberKnife Physician Team: At the Connecticut CyberKnife Center at Saint Francis, our board-certified physician staff collaborate to provide the best in patient care. All of the physicians at the Center have received specialized training with the CyberKnife System. To learn more about the physicians at the Connecticut CyberKnife Center, click on the links below or call (860) 714-4764 for more information. Radiation Oncologists: Richard C. Shumway, MD Co-Director, Connecticut CyberKnife Center Bruce M. Kaplan, MD Eric M. van Rooy, MD Gynecologic Oncologist Beth E. Nelson, MD Allan R. Mayer, DO Surgical Oncologist James L. Frank, MD General Surgeon Richard M. Newman, MD Urologist Jeffrey Steinberg, MD Neurosurgeons: Stephan C. Lange, MD Co-Director, Connecticut CyberKnife Center Stephen F. Calderon, MD Howard Lantner, MD Bruce Chozick, MD Otolaryngologist Todd Zachs, MD Orthopedic Spine Surgeon David Kruger, MD Thoracic Surgeon John Thayer, MD - Chief

Key Features

• No pain
• No incision
• No blood   
• No general anesthesia
• No stereotactic frame attached to head
• No hospitalization
• No recovery time

No Incision,
Advanced Precision

Thanks to the flexibility of its robotic arm and its precision targeting system, CyberKnife can be used to treat tumors and lesions, avoiding an open incision. The robotic arm follows a path devised by a computerized, real-time image guidance system. It focuses a concentrated beam of high-energy radiation at multiple points on a tumor. The beams converge at the tumor, delivering targeted treatment while sparing nearby normal tissue with minimal radiation.

With CyberKnife's unique targeting capabilities, patients undergoing treatment for brain tumors do not have require a cumbersome, restrictive metal frame attached to their skull to stabilize their movements while receiving radiation.

In addition to brain tumors, CyberKnife can be used to treat tumors of the spine and soft tissue areas, including the lung, liver, and pancreas.

Fast, Painless Treatments

CyberKnife treatment is a painless, noninvasive outpatient procedure. Depending on the type of tumor being treated, patients can require one to five sessions, lasting 30 to 90 minutes. Patients lie on a table in their street clothes as the robotic arm maneuvers to deliver radiation.

CyberKnife - A Proven Technology

The CyberKnife System utilizes radiation technology that has been proven over the last 30 years. Over 20,000 patients have already received CyberKnife treatments, both in the United States and around the world. Clinical studies published in multiple medical journals attest to the efficacy of CyberKnife treatments.

FDA Approved

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the CyberKnife System for the treatment of tumors and lesions anywhere in the body when radiation is indicated. This provides treatment alternatives to many patients who:

• are otherwise diagnosed as inoperable.  
• want or need an alternative to traditional open surgery.
• have received the maximum allowable dose of radiation.
• do not want to undergo a treatment using an invasive sterotactic frame.
• do not want an additional operation to remove a recurrent or residual tumor.

Please consult with your physician to determine if treatment with the Cyberknife can help you.

How Does the CyberKnife Work?

CyberKnife is the world's first and only intelligent robotic radiosurgery system, uniquely combining two advanced technologies:

1. A lightweight radiation delivery system mounted on a multi-jointed robotic arm: The flexible robotic arm is capable of reaching areas of the body that are untreatable with conventional radiosurgery.
2. An image guidance system allowing the CyberKnife to locate the lesion throughout treatment and to make real-time corrections for small patient movements.

Treatment Planning

Before experiencing treatment, patients undergo a CT scan (or in some cases, an MRI), which is downloaded to the CyberKnife treatment-planning computer. Advanced software customizes the number, intensity and direction of radiation beams the robot sends to the target.

For details on the Connecticut CyberKnife Center at Saint Francis, call (860) 714-4764.
Click Here for Directions.

For more information, including video presentations, on CyberKnife, go to
www.accuray.com.

For patients seeking support group exchange and information, go to:
CyberKnifeSupport.org

For more information for medical professionals seeking the exchange
of clinical information, go to:
CyberKnife® Society

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