A knife that’s not a knife at all.

The CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery System is a crucial weapon in the ongoing fight against cancer that allows us to treat tumors that may have been previously considered inoperable. Usually performed on an outpatient basis, the procedure lasts only a few hours. No anesthesia is necessary, and the side effects are usually minimal, and there is often less pain and a faster recovery.

How it works

The CyberKnife uses robotic technology and advanced image-guidance to track and destroy small lesions through the delivery of large doses of targeted radiation. What makes the CyberKnife unique is its use of three-dimensional terrain mapping and localization technology similar to what the U.S. military uses to guide cruise missiles to targets hundreds of miles away.

Thanks to its ability to deliver high doses of radiation precisely while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue, the CyberKnife offers patients the potential for a safe, noninvasive treatment of tumors virtually anywhere in the body.

Conditions treated

The first one of its kind in Los Angeles, the USC CyberKnife system was installed in 2002, and since then, we have accumulated significant experience in treating conditions that are receptive to this technology, including lesions affecting:

• The head
• The spine
• The lung
• The colon
• The rectum
• The gastrointestinal tract
• The pancreas
• The esophagus
• The liver

The CyberKnife Procedure

Patients undergo CT or MRI scans that are then used to create a three-dimensional map of the body. With this map, physicians can direct the CyberKnife to the precise location of the tumor without harming healthy tissue. During treatment, dozens or even hundreds of radiation beams are cross-fired from different angles and converge on the tumor, either destroying it or shrinking it considerably over time.

Usually performed on an outpatient basis, the procedure lasts only a few hours. No anesthesia is necessary, and the side effects are usually minimal, and there is often less pain and a faster recovery.