CyberKnife Center

CyberKnife radiosurgery is a noninvasive, precise, and painless treatment in which advanced robotic technology is used to accurately deliver high-dose radiotherapy. Our experts provide treatment at our locations on Long Island and at the first and only CyberKnife center in Manhattan.

In addition to offering state-of-the-art personalized care with conventional forms of radiation, our experts use CyberKnife radiosurgery to treat people who have many types of cancer, including prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, spinal cord tumors, and soft tissue sarcoma.

At the CyberKnife Center at Perlmutter Cancer Center, our doctors are international leaders in using CyberKnife radiosurgery to treat prostate cancer. Our radiation oncologists have treated thousands of patients with this advanced technology, and have helped advance the field by publishing their extensive research findings in peer-reviewed cancer journals.

We were the first medical institution to offer this treatment in the New York metropolitan area, and we continue to train teams from around the world in how to use this innovative technology. We are the largest CyberKnife center in the United States and one of the largest in the world, treating more than 800 patients a year.

Our experienced team of surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, physicists, radiologists, and nurses, all part of NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, work together to develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs. Using advanced software, our team determines the number, intensity, and direction of the radiation beams required to deliver treatment safely and effectively. Our goal is to offer curative cancer treatment while minimizing side effects and disruption to a patient’s life.

With the help of a flexible robotic arm, our experts use CyberKnife to deliver highly focused radiation beams that can reach deeply embedded tumors in any part of your body, including the lungs. CyberKnife technology can track your slightest body movement, including breathing patterns. This automated tracking allows the beams to adjust in real time and deliver radiation with extreme precision, sparing healthy tissue from the effects of radiation.

Choosing CyberKnife for Treatment

Our doctors work with you to evaluate whether CyberKnife radiosurgery is the right treatment for you. If you have a cancerous or noncancerous condition that is considered inoperable or not treatable using conventional radiation therapy, then CyberKnife treatment may be an option for you. Your doctor may also recommend CyberKnife if you are looking for an alternative to traditional surgery, or as an additional treatment choice if you have already received the maximum radiation therapy dose using conventional options.

Compared with other radiation therapies, which last six to nine weeks, the CyberKnife treatment period is much shorter. It typically lasts 5 days or less, with 20- to 30-minute sessions daily.

What to Expect During CyberKnife Treatment

Before starting treatment, your doctor may use an imaging technique, such as a CT, MRI, or PET scan, to determine the tumor’s size, shape, and location. Depending on the location of the tumor, your doctor may implant small markers in or near the tumor to track its position during treatment. Often, a customized soft face mask or body mold is created to minimize movement.

Our team works with you to ensure your comfort and safety throughout treatment. During treatment, the CyberKnife robot delivers radiation by moving slowly around you. The image-guided system takes X-rays during this time to ensure that the treatment is delivered accurately. Patients do not require any anesthesia or incisions prior to CyberKnife treatment, and the sessions are pain-free. Most people experience minimal side effects and can resume normal activities at the end of each session. It is not uncommon for patients to continue to work during the period they are being treated.