For people diagnosed with liver cancer, treatment can sometimes feel overwhelming. The liver sits close to several important organs, and because it can move naturally with breathing, delivering radiation accurately requires careful planning and precision.
At 5D Clinics, advanced robotic technology is helping make highly targeted radiotherapy an option for some people with liver tumours. The approach brings together the CyberKnife® System at 5D Clinics Melbourne with the expertise of Radiology Victoria, who perform the fiducial marker insertion procedure that helps guide treatment. The partnership between 5D Clinics Melbourne and Radiology Victoria is an important part of this process.
Before treatment begins, the team at Radiology Victoria places tiny gold markers, also known as fiducials, in or near the liver tumour using CT guidance. This is a minimally invasive procedure designed to give the CyberKnife® system a precise reference point for locating the tumour during treatment. Once the fiducials are in place and your treatment planning scans have been completed, the CyberKnife® system uses this information to deliver highly focused radiation to the tumour. Rather than treating a large area, the technology is designed to concentrate radiation where it is needed while helping limit exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.
One of the key advantages is tumour tracking. The liver can move as you breathe, and the tumour can move with it. CyberKnife® continuously tracks the position of the target during treatment and can adjust the radiation delivered accordingly. This means your treatment can account for natural movement rather than relying on the tumour staying completely still.
Another important difference with CyberKnife® is the number of treatment sessions, also known as fractions. Stereotactic radiotherapy can deliver a higher dose of radiation in a much smaller number of highly targeted sessions. Depending on the individual treatment plan, CyberKnife® may be delivered in as few as one to five sessions. For patients, fewer treatment sessions can mean less time travelling to and from appointments and less disruption to everyday life.
This Liver Cancer Awareness Month, we want to highlight the advances in technology and collaboration that are helping provide new possibilities for selected patients combining high-tech treatment, tumour tracking and fewer fractions to deliver radiation with precision and care.
