The CyberKnife system delivers radiation beams with “T” or “tight to the tumor” accuracy.

This means that CyberKnife radiosurgery is so precise, that radiation beams can target small, complex shaped tumors near critical structures of the body. The radiation beams penetrate the tumors while leaving healthy tissues unharmed.

St. John’s is the only hospital in the region to offer the CyberKnife Radiosurgery System. The introduction of the CyberKnife technology reflects St. John’s commitment to providing superior care to our patients. St. John's Radiosurgery Center, located adjacent to the Cancer Center on the St. John's Hospital campus, opened in 2005.

CyberKnife radiosurgery treatment was developed at Stanford University in the early 1990s and was approved for use by the FDA in 2001. It incorporates a linear accelerator to generate radiation using a robotic arm and an X-ray tracking system that follows patient and tumor movement during treatment.  This combination of technology allows a patient’s tumor to be treated with lethal doses of radiation - increasing the likelihood for cure - while leaving the surrounding tissue nearly radiation-free. 

There are currently 95 hospitals in the United States with CyberKnife technology and over 25,000 patients have been treated worldwide. 

CyberKnife treatment differs from other types of radiosurgery offered in southwest Missouri in three important ways:

¢ First, the CyberKnife is the most accurate radiosurgical device in the world, offering precision treatments with less than 1 millimeter error. 

¢ Second, it is the only radiosurgical device that can be used to treat lesions throughout the body. 

¢ Third, for treatment of tumors in the brain, it is the only device that can deliver effective radiation doses without a frame being screwed into the skull, which is done to stabilize the patient’s head during treatment. 

This combination of unique features makes the CyberKnife the fastest, easiest and most accurate radiosurgical device in the world.