Painless CyberKnife kills cancer

Cruise missile technology will now be used to treat cancer. An artificial intelligence-enabled robot performs the revolutionary CyberKnife treatment, a bloodless and painless surgery. It allows doctors to treat tumours in brain, lungs, liver, prostate and spine without causing any damage to other organs.
The Rs 30-crore CyberKnife arrived in Bangalore from the US last week at the Health Care Global (HCG), a network of cancer care units. Hitherto, cancer patients had to travel to the US for this treatment. HCG is the first Bangalore hospital to procure the CyberKnife. Its computer system not only tells the robot where the tumour is but where it is in relation to the breathing cycle. Simply put, the robot breathes with the patient.
“Now, tumours can be isolated and treated. For instance, if there is a tumour in the liver, doctors had a tough time ensuring that other tissues or organs were not damaged during radiation. CyberKnife zeros in on the tumour and destroys it. The robot moves through 360 degrees, blocks normal tissues and treats only the tumour,’’ Dr B S Ajai Kumar, radiation oncologist and chairman HCG, told STOI.
CyberKnife uses two cameras and infrared technology with absolutely no human intervention during surgery. The treatment is reduced from 5-6 weeks to a maximum of five days with 45-60 minutes per session.
“Such is its precision that if the robot finds a 2-cm tumour, it will destroy it. If it finds another 3-cm tumour, the robot changes the cone to target the bigger tumour and destroys that too. It’s like a surgeon’s knife with pinpoint accuracy. The best part is that the patient can return immediately to their routine after the session is over,’’