Sinai Hospital, through the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute and the Department of Radiation Oncology, has established a stereotactic radiosurgery center, using the Accuray CyberKnife®.
Cardella Coleman, M.D., Assistant Chief of Radiation Oncology , and Neal Naff, M.D., Chief of Neurosurgery, are directing the center.
Patient treatment began in April 2003. The facility and staff continue to provide this exciting new therapy option to our patients.
For more information or to make a referral to the CyberKnife® Center, contact the Cyberknife Center Coordinator at Sinai Hospital. 410-601-2449.
See our advertisement
The Sinai CyberKnife Experience:
Total Cases: 1,539
Intra Cranial: 551
Spine: 243
Lung: 330
Pancreas: 95
Liver: 72
Prostate: 61
Other Non-CNS: 187
We are ranked in the top:
6th worldwide for extra cranial
3rd worldwide for liver
There are 120 center in the USA, and 190 Worldwide.
What is stereotactic radiosurgery?
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a non-surgical treatment using very focused beams of radiation on small and previously inaccessible tumors or lesions deep within the body. Because the radiation beams enter the body from many different angles and all focus directly on the tumor or lesion, the surrounding healthy cells and important structures (blood vessels, nerves, etc.) are spared.
What is the difference between conventional radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery?
Conventional radiation therapy (radiotherapy) administers a broad beam of radiation from one or two directions through normal tissues and requires between 10 and 20 treatments to complete. Stereotactic radiosurgery delivers highly focused beams from many directions so that the normal tissues experience less radiation and the treatment can be completed in only one to three sessions.
What is the difference between CyberKnife® and other stereotactic radiosurgery systems?
-
The CyberKnife®, like other stereotactic radiosurgery systems, uses a linear accelerator (beam source) and image guidance. In addition, the CyberKnife® utilizes a robotic arm that gives the system flexibility to reach areas of the body that are unreachable by other radiosurgery systems.
-
The CyberKnife® system is able to locate tumors within the body without the use of an invasive stereotactic headframe used with other systems. This is much more convenient and less traumatic for patients.
-
The CyberKnife® system is able to compensate for patient movement during treatment, ensuring accurate targeting of the radiation source to the site of the tumor/lesion.
What can CyberKnife® treat?
The following tumors, lesions and conditions can be treated with the CyberKnife® Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program (not all-inclusive):
-
Cancers involving the brain
-
-
Lung cancers
-
Pancreatic cancers
-
Prostate cancers
-
Kidney cancers
-
Metastatic orbital tumors, orbital lymphomas and orbital inflammations
-
Benign brain tumors, such as acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, craniopharngiomal hemangioblastoma, schwannomas
-
Malformations of blood vessels within the brain, such as arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
-
Trigeminal neuralgia
What is the treatment course?
CyberKnife® treatment is performed on an outpatient basis. The patient receives an initial consultation with the radiation oncologist and surgeon. A CT scan (3-D X-ray) is obtained. The 3-D image obtained is used by the physicians, physicists and team to create a treatment plan. The patient will return for the one-hour treatment within a few days after the consultation. The number of treatments will vary depending on tumor size, location and shape, but the number of treatments is usually between one and four.
What are patient benefits?
-
Better quality of life during and after treatment
-
Head frames not used as with other stereotactic radiosurgery programs
-
Performed on an outpatient basis
-
Less pain
-
No incisions
-
Risk is minimized to healthy tissue surrounding tumor/lesions
-
Fewer visits to the hospital
-
Short recovery period
-
Treatment is available for tumors considered inoperable by other surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery methods
-
Lower risk of complications when compared to other treatment options
-
Lower risk of infections
-
Lower risk of hemorrhage/severe blood loss
-
Lower risk of hearing loss
-
Lower risk to alteration in feeling of extremities
-
Treatment planning scans can be scheduled at the patient’s convenience, up to day(s) before the treatment
Patient Referrals and Additional Information
For more information or to make a referral to the CyberKnife® Center, contact the Radiation Oncology department at Sinai Hospital at 410-601-9786.
Support Groups and Organizations
The American Brain Tumor Association
http://www.abta.org/
American Cancer Society
http://www.cancer.org/
The Acoustic Neuroma Association
http://www.anausa.org/
National Brain Tumor Society
http://www.braintumor.org
CyberKnife Society
http://www.cksociety.org/
International Radiosurgery Support Association
http://www.irsa.org/
Accuray
http://www.accuray.com/
CyberKnife Patient Support Group
http://www.cyberknifesupport.org/
Our CyberKnife® Center Team of Experts
Radiation Oncology
Cardella Coleman, M.D., Radiation Oncologist
Denise R.Gooch, M.D., Radiation Oncologist
Jeanette A Linder, M.D., Radiation Oncologist
Neurosurgery - Brain lesions and Spinal Tumors
Neal Naff, M.D., Chief, Department of Neurosurgery
Hugo Benalcazar, M.D., Neurosurgeon
James Conway, M.D., Neurosurgeon
Zeena Dorai, M.D., Neurosurgeon
Ira Garonzik, M.D., Neurosurgeon
Agha Khan, M.D., Neurosurgeon
Anje Kim, M.D., Neurosurgeon
Richard North, M.D., Neurosurgeon
Orthopedic Surgery - Spinal Tumors
Albert Aboulafia, M.D., Orthopedic Surgeon
Surgical Oncology - Pancreas, Liver Tumors
Mukund Didolkar, M.D., Director, Surgical Oncology
Kyo Chu., M.D., Surgical Oncologist
Thoracic Surgery - Lung Tumors
Lynne Skaryak, M.D., Head, Divison of Thoracic Surgery
Nikhilesh Korgaonkar, M.D. Thoracic Surgeon
Gynecologic Oncology
Fouad Abbas, M.D., Gynecology Surgeon
Ophthalmology - Eye/Orbit lesions
Mark Hirschbein, M.D.,Ophthalmologist
James Karesh, M.D., Ophthalmologist
Urology - Prostate
Bruce Berger, M.D., Urologist
Keith O'Reilly, M.D., Urologist
Edward Leventhal, M.D., Urologist
Mark S. Redwood, M.D., Urologist
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Alexander E. Pazoki, M.D., D.D.S., Oral Surgeon
Medical Physicist
Timothy Holmes, Ph.D., Chief.
Philip Mone, M.S. 
Abstracts Presented at the CyberKnife Annual User's Meeting
Results of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (CyberKnife®) in Unresectable and Locally Recurrent Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas.
Click here for the PDF
Surgical Wound Complications in Patients Treated with CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Tumors of the Spine
Click here for the PDF
