MILAN (ITALPRESS) – Twenty thousand patients treated in 20 years, covering a wide range of oncological and nononcological pathologies: the Italian Diagnostic Center celebrated with a conference the 20th anniversary of the use of Cyberknife technology, the advanced stereotactic radiosurgery platform that has revolutionized the treatment of numerous cancers. “Today we are celebrating an important anniversary: the 20th anniversary of the revolutionary Cyberknife robot at CDI,” said Diana Bracco, president and CEO of Centro Diagnostico Italiano, in her opening remarks. “This anniversary testifies to the CDI’s constant focus on investing in innovation by equipping itself with technological tools and professionals of excellence in order to offer a service tailored to patients and their specific needs.” In 2004, the investment in stereotactic radiosurgery was a pioneering path, which began with an experimental public-private collaboration and a clinical research protocol shared with San Carlo Hospital and IRCCS Besta. Today, Cyberknife treatments represent a well-established therapeutic alternative to surgery, especially in cases where surgery would be complex or at high risk for the patient: tumors located in areas that are difficult to access or close to vital structures, such as the brain, spinal cord or mediastinum. Cyberknife is frequently used for primary and secondary cancers of the lung, liver, pancreas, and prostate, as well as brain metastases, meningiomas, melanomas of the eye, and even noncancer syndromes such as trigeminal neuralgia. Its ability to deliver the radiation dose extremely precisely while safeguarding adjacent tissues, and the noninvasive, rapid and painless type of treatment, with no need for hospitalization, now make it a preferred choice for patients unsuitable for surgery or those who need short recovery time and fewer side effects. At the Italian Diagnostic Center, sent from many hospitals in Lombardy and outside the region, in agreement with the National Health Service, today about 1,000 cancer patients arrive each year for stereotactic radiotherapy. The technological equipment, as of January 2024, is that of the latest Cyberknife S7 TM, which has further improved treatment precision and accuracy. Primary and secondary lung cancers (4,100 patients), secondary bone metastases (4,800), prostate cancers (1,400) and brain metastases (2,900) were among the main areas of focus in the 20 years of operation. In addition, primary and secondary liver tumors (700), primary brain tumors (600), meningiomas (860), uveal melanomas (110), and more than 1,000 patients with trigeminal neuralgia or other non-neoplastic syndromes were treated. Other oncological and functional diseases complete the picture, with about 3,450 cases treated. “These numbers testify to the extraordinary impact of Cyberknife radiosurgery in clinical practice, confirming the CDI as one of 14 national reference centers. Technological advances over the years have made it possible to further improve outcomes. This is particularly evident for prostate cancer, for which the most recent data in the literature from the international PACE-A trial show clinical outcomes comparable to minimally invasive surgery in disease control to which are added significant advantages for patients’ quality of life: lower incidence of urinary incontinence – only 6.5 percent of patients versus 50 percent of patients undergoing prostatectomy and better preservation of sexual function,” explains Giancarlo Beltramo, radiosurgeon in charge of Cyberknife at the Italian Diagnostic Center. Cyberknife is not only an established technology, but an evolving platform. “Today, the clinical applications of radiosurgery are also expanding to non-oncologic functional diseases and cardiology. From here on out, our goal, in addition to strengthening our ability to personalize treatments, will be to expand them further through advances in artificial intelligence and radiomics,” concludes Deborah Fazzini, director of the Operating Unit of Diagnostic Imaging and Stereotactic Radiosurgery at CDI. Cyberknife treatment is performed completely noninvasively and without the need for incisions or anesthesia. The patient is placed on a crib, designed to ensure maximum comfort throughout the procedure. Once settled, the system begins to work: the Cyberknife’s robotic arm, equipped with a radiation source, moves around the patient with extreme precision, directing the radiation beam directly toward the area to be treated. Using built-in artificial intelligence, the system constantly monitors the position of the patient and target, detecting and correcting any movements, such as breathing, in real time. This makes it possible to avoid irradiation of healthy tissue. Stereotactic radiotherapy treatment is a technique that enables extremely precise and accurate delivery of the radiation dose: it is often used for patients with localized tumors, with recurrences, or as a retreatment in previously radiotreated patients. Compared with conventional radiotherapy, it administers a much higher dose of radiation per treatment fraction, and this allows the overall number of sessions to be reduced.
– Sec press office photo for Cyberknife -(ITALPRESS).
