FAQs

The total number of CyberKnife® treatments required depends on the type and location of the lesion to be treated. Treatments are typically delivered over 1-5 treatment sessions. 

A CyberKnife® treatment session takes between 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the type, size and location of the lesion to be treated. 

Side effects from CyberKnife® treatment are generally very minimal but may include nausea and fatigue. Please consult one of our Radiation Oncologists to see if CyberKnife® treatment is right for you. 

Conventional radiation treatment delivery machines are limited in the orientation in which the treatment beams can be incident on the patient. Furthermore, conventional radiotherapy machines are limited in their capability to perform real-time lesion tracking due to respiration and other organ motion. As a consequence, radiation is often delivered to a larger area of tissue and, in order to be administered safely, is provided over an extended number of treatment sessions lasting up to 7 weeks.

The CyberKnife® system is comprised of a Linear Accelerator which delivers high energy x-rays, mounted onto a robotic arm, and image guidance technology for sub-millimetre accuracy. Being fully robotic, the CyberKnife® is able to continually monitor patient and lesion movement. The robotic arm enables the machine to treat a lesion from thousands of different angles in the space surrounding the patient. Generating a treatment plan of hundreds of different beams, the CyberKnife® system delivers high doses of precisely targeted radiation, minimising dose to surrounding healthy tissue and organs. Because of its precision, a CyberKnife® treatment course can be delivered in as few as 1-5 treatment sessions. 

As each case is different, please feel free to upload a new patient form and a 5D Clinics staff member will be in contact with you. 

Your treatment schedule is specific to your condition and may not be the same as other patients with a similar condition. The same is true of the costs of your treatment. Schedules range from 1 to 5 treatments with some patients requiring additional treatments. 

Treatments are conducted as ‘outpatient’ procedures, which means they are not covered by private health insurers. Medicare does cover approximately 80% of the treatment cost. 

At your post consultation discussion with the 5D Clinics team, the number and cost of your treatment will be outlined.