What is the patient process for pancreatic radiosurgery using the CyberKnife?
Prior to radiosurgery, 3-5 small gold seeds are implanted in the tumor to serve as fiducial markers These markers are visible to normal diagnostic x-rays and are tracked by the CyberKnife to determine the precise position of the tumor throughout radiosurgery. The markers are placed through a needle under CT guidance by an interventional radiologist in an outpatient procedure that takes about 1 hour. Approximately 1 week after the seeds are placed, a treatment planning session is scheduled. At this time, a custom mold (called an alpha cradle) will be made to hold the body in place during the radiosurgery. Next, a specialized pancreatic protocol CT scan will be completed with the patient lying in this custom alpha cradle. The CT images are downloaded to a treatment planning computer and a customized radiosurgery plan is developed according to each patient’s anatomy and the shape/location of the tumor. A team including a radiation oncologist, a pancreatic surgeon, an interventional radiol
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