Abstract:
To described the recent advancement of radiosurgery and suggest the attitude of the clinical oncologists toward the clinical application. Methods: The history and development of radiosurgery, including the application of Gamma- Knife and X- Knives, the characteristics, advantages and the summary of clinical application of CyberKnife was reviewed. Results: Data showed that since official approval from FDA for the whole- body radiosurgical equipment in 2001, up to the end of 2006, CyberKnife has been used for treatment of over 25,000 patients with intracranial, spinal and extracranial benign and malignant tumors, arteriovenous malformation and trigeminal neuralgia in 90 hospitals in U.S., Europe and Asia. Due to a clinical accuracy of no more than 1 submillimeter and possibly frequent image- guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and correction for body movement during irradiation, CyberKnife can treat patients with a large radiation dose by 1 to 5 fractions, with good results. CyberKnife can also treat tumors moving with respiration, such as those in lung, liver, pancreas, prostate and kidney, without irradiating normal tissues of a large area. CyberKnife was a unique and excellent equipment of radiosurgery. Conclusion: CyberKnife is a new and superordinary device of radiosurgery.It is recommended that the clinical oncologists should participate in the development of the clinical technology to become the future specialists of CyberKnife radiosurgery.