If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and you’re based in Tasmania, CyberKnife® treatment at 5D Clinics is an option that you can readily access through our Tasmanian radiation oncologists. Key parts of the journey, including consultation, pre-treatment planning, and follow-up care, are managed locally within Tasmania, enabling patients to conveniently access care close to home.
What is CyberKnife®?
CyberKnife® is an advanced, highly precise form of robotic radiatiotherapy used to treat a range of cancers, including prostate cancer. It delivers targeted radiation from hundreds of different angles, using an image-guided radiotherapy system capable of sub-millimetre accuracy.
CyberKnife® tracks movement continuously throughout treatment, delivering high doses directly to the tumour to ensure surrounding healthy tissue remains unaffected. Precision is particularly important for prostate cancer treatment. CyberKnife®’s continuous tumour tracking helps keep the treatment beams on-target, reducing the dose to the bladder and rectum even as the body moves naturally.
Treatment is non-surgical, pain-free, and is typically completed in a small number of sessions.
Who may be suitable for CyberKnife® treatment?
CyberKnife® is used to treat a range of cancer types, and may be recommended for prostate cancer when:
- A tumour is small and well defined
- Highly targeted treatment is required
- The tumour is close to sensitive structures
- Surgery is not suitable or carries increased risk
- Fewer treatment sessions would be beneficial
Whether CyberKnife® is right for you depends on your individual circumstances, including the type and stage of your cancer, your overall health, and your treatment history.
Your radiation oncologist will assess your suitability as part of a thorough consultation.
- Learn more about what CyberKnife® treats.
CyberKnife® close to home
Working closely with local specialists and providers in the Icon Cancer Centre network, 5D Clinics has built a treatment pathway that keeps most of the preparation in Tasmania before you travel to Melbourne for treatment.
Consultations are available in person in Hobart or via telehealth, so your first conversation with a radiation oncologist can happen quickly, no matter where you are in Tasmania.
Much of what follows can be arranged locally in Hobart before you travel. This includes scans, treatment planning and, for many patients, fiducial marker insertion—a short day procedure where small seeds are placed into or near the prostate. During treatment, the CyberKnife® system uses these seeds to locate the tumour precisely, keeping the radiation beams on target throughout each session.
For patients in Hobart and across Tasmania, this means fewer trips to Melbourne and less disruption to your daily life while you’re undergoing treatment.
A treatment pathway designed for Tasmanian patients
The CyberKnife® treatment process involves six steps. Steps one to four can often be completed locally in Hobart.
Step 1. Referral
Your journey begins with a referral from your GP or specialist
Step 2. Consultation with a radiation oncologist
You can consult with a radiation oncologist in Tasmania, in person or via telehealth. Your consultation is a chance to ask questions, understand your options, and decide on the right path forward.
- Learn more about Icon Cancer Centre Hobart
Step 3. Planning scans
Critical imaging, including CT and MRI scans, can be performed at radiology clinics in Hobart. For many patients, fiducial marker insertion can also be completed locally, removing the need to travel interstate for early-stage preparation.
Step 4. Personalised treatment planning
Once imaging is complete, our multidisciplinary team in Melbourne collaborates to design a highly tailored CyberKnife® treatment plan. This step is completed before you travel and ensures precision targeting during treatment, protecting surrounding healthy tissue.
Step 5. Treatment in Melbourne
You then travel to 5D Clinics in Melbourne for treatment. Because the planning is already done, this is often a shorter, more focused visit. Treatment is typically delivered over three to five sessions on alternate days.
Step 6. Follow up care
After treatment, follow up appointments can be coordinated locally in Hobart, so your ongoing care stays close to home. Your local radiation oncologist remains involved throughout, maintaining continuity of care and keeping your wider care team informed.
Local specialists connected to a national network
An important part of this pathway is the involvement of Tasmanian radiation oncologists.
Dr Raef Awad and A/Prof. Michael Jones are Tasmanian radiation oncologists working closely with 5D Clinics and undertaking dedicated CyberKnife® training through the Icon Cancer Centre network.
Having local specialists involved from the outset means your care doesn’t transfer to an interstate team the moment you’re referred. Instead, your radiation oncologist will remain part of your care team throughout, coordinating with the 5D Clinics specialists in Melbourne on your treatment plan and following up with you in Hobart after treatment.
To find out more or to arrange a consultation with one of our Hobart-based radiation oncologists, reach out to a member of our team.
Find out more
From your first telehealth consultation to follow-up care in Hobart, the pathway is designed to keep as much of your treatment journey in Tasmania as possible.
If you would like to find out more about CyberKnife® treatment for prostate cancer at 5D Clinics, or to explore whether it may be suitable as a treatment option, our team is here to help. You can make an enquiry online or learn more about CyberKnife® treatment and what to expect.
