Saved by the £2m CyberKnife... and it's coming to the NHS

By HILARY FREEMAN FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
Updated:

It's the 最新の, very expensive and most 前進するd form of 放射線療法 and its 指名する is 都合よく impressive: the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System.

When actor Patrick Swayze was trying to 扱う／治療する his incurable pancreatic 癌, he turned to the CyberKnife. And while the 治療 did not cure the 星／主役にする of 粉砕する-攻撃する，衝突する movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost - w 売春婦 died last year - it is thought to have 長引かせるd his life.

The 治療 is 特に 効果的な against brain tumours.

CyberKnife

正確な: The machine 的s high doses of 放射線療法 to reach difficult 癌 tumours


There are 現在／一般に only two Cyber-Knife machines in the UK - at The London Clinic and the Harley Street Clinic - and they cost £2million each.

But the first NHS machine should be 利用できる to 扱う／治療する 患者s later this year at London's 開始する Vernon Hospital. A 一連の 開会／開廷／会期s at a 私的な clinic costs up to £20,000. So just what does the CyberKnife do?

The CyberKnife uses an X-ray producing accelerator 'gun' 機動力のある on a robot arm to 的 and destroy 癌 独房s with high-dose beams of 放射（能）, known as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

従来の 放射線療法 is a form of 的d 癌 治療 that 焦点（を合わせる）s very high-energy X-rays on 癌 独房s in a localised area, either 殺人，大当り them 即時に or 原因（となる）ing them to stop growing and dividing, so that they 結局 die.

It is used to 扱う／治療する individual, solid tumours, such as brain tumours, rather than 癌s that have spread throughout the 団体／死体, such as leukaemia.

While 放射（能） can 原因（となる） 癌 by 損失ing healthy 独房s, in 放射線療法 it is used to kill and 無能にする 癌 独房s.

During the CyberKnife 手続き, cameras 監視する any 患者 movement, 含むing breathing, and the robot repositions the beam ーするために minimise 損失 to healthy tissue.

This 正確 enables tumours to be 扱う／治療するd that are in difficult positions, such as 近づく the spinal cord.

Dr 法案 Bice, 長，指導者 医療の physicist at The London Clinic, says: 'By 焦点（を合わせる）ing the 放射（能） carefully, you maximi se the dose to the tumour 独房s while minimising the 量 received by the surrounding normal 独房s.

'Normal 独房s are much better at 修理ing themselves between 治療s than 癌 独房s. Although there is a 危険 of 原因（となる）ing 第２位 癌s, this occurs infrequently and there is a long latent period, up to 20 years, before 癌 develops.

'The 代案／選択肢 - not giving 治療 - is far more dangerous.

'The CyberKnife can 配達する 放射（能） with sub-millimetre precision, which helps to 避ける 味方する 影響s.

'Most 従来の 放射線療法 is 配達するd with an 不確定 of between five millimetres and one centimetre.

Because of this, 患者s would have to be immobilised - for a brain tumour this meant screwing four pins into the 患者's scalp to 開始する a 長，率いる でっちあげる，人を罪に陥れる for 治療, which was very uncomfortable.

'The CyberKnife moves around the 患者, so they can be immobilised in a far gentler fashion, with a mask that fits over the 長，率いる.

'As the machine 記録，記録的な／記録するs images throughout the 治療 and moves with the 患者's breathing, if they move it can 訂正する itself. 従来の 放射線療法 伴う／関わるs 20 or more short 開会／開廷／会期s with low-dose 放射（能）.

'With the CyberKnife, a 患者 may need only three to five 開会／開廷／会期s.'

Dr Bice （人命などを）奪う，主張するs that the CyberKnife can 扱う／治療する 癌s that were 以前 thought unsuitable for 放射線療法 - 含むing on the spine - which can't be operated on because of the 危険 of paralysis - and even some 肺 癌s.'

But it cannot be used on tumours that are too large, hard to see on X-rays, or in parts of the 団体／死体 that cannot be 効果的に immobilised - such as breast 癌 as it is difficult to immobilise a breast, says Dr Bice.

臨床の oncologist Dr フランs Calman 勧めるs 警告を与える: 'CyberKnife is a new 科学（工学）技術 and we don't know the long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 影響s. Whether it is better than 伝統的な 放射線療法 isn't （疑いを）晴らす-削減（する）.

'One 熟考する／考慮する published in The Lancet 設立する that, while brain tumour patie nts who had stereotactic radiosurgery [SRS] 治療 alone had better cognitive 機能（する）／行事 a year after than those who had SRS and whole brain 放射線療法, only a third as many were still alive.'

And while it had 証明するd to be successful in 扱う／治療するing 選び出す／独身 tumours, there was scant 証拠 that it was any more 効果的な at 扱う／治療するing 多重の tumours than 従来の 放射線療法.

'We must make sure 攻撃を受けやすい 患者s are not 説得するd to remortgage their houses to 支払う／賃金 for expensive 治療s that may only 長引かせる their lives by a few months, in the hope of a cure,' says Dr Calman.

? For more on 癌 治療, visit www.macmillan.org.uk?

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