Hospital Services
CyberKnife Center

 CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery Center -- Surgery Without the Scalpel

To schedule an appointment for a CyberKnife consult, please contact our CyberKnife Coordinator, Karen Berni-Giarusso, at 508-363-7664, or if you have a question send an email to 
cyberknife@stvincenthospital.com

The CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery Center complements and enhances Saint Vincent Hospital's comprehensive array of diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical services for treating cancerous and non-cancerous tumors -- even inoperable ones -- anywhere in the body with pinpoint accuracy. 

Saint Vincent Hospital is proud to be the first CyberKnife Center in Central Massachusetts and the only one that has the most up-to-date technology -- the CyberKnife VSI 9.4.5 system with lung optimized treatment software that makes it one of the most advanced systems on the East Coast.

What is CyberKnife Radiosurgery? 
Contrary to its name, there is no "knife" in the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery.  CyberKnife radiosurgery is a precise, painless, non-invasive radiation treatment that can be an alternative to open surgery in certain cases.  Multiple beams of high energy radiation are delivered from multiple points outside the body and converge precisely at the tumor or lesion inside the body.  Each individal beam is not sufficient to cause harm, but the convergence of all the beams at the tumor results in the lesion receiving a very high dose of radiation while sparing nearby normal tissue.

CyberKnife radiosurgery is so precise, radiation beams can be sculpted to small, complex-shaped tumors near critical structures, such as hearing and vision nerves.  This ability to accurately irradiate only the tumor and protect healthy tissue allows the CyberKnife to treat many lesions which may be considered inoperable or untreatable with other surgical or radiosurgery systems. . . giving many patients hope.  CyberKnife radiosurgery may also be used for other benign conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformations.

Where can I find more information on the CyberKnife?
You can find links to a number of resources, including The CyberKnife Society (https://therss.org/), a coalition of physicians and  affiliated healthcare professionals specializing in CyberKnife radiosurgery.  You'll also find links to the CyberKnife Patient Support Group (www.cyberknifesupport.org), and to Accuray the manufacturer of the CyberKnife (www.accuray.com).

How do I know if I am a candidate for CyberKnife?
Patients referred to Saint Vincent Hospital for treatment with CyberKnife receive an initial evaluation with the appropriate multidisciplinary clinic to determine eligibility.  If CyberKnife treatment is applicable, a treatment plan will be collaboratively created by a team consisting of Saint Vincent Hospital radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and surgeons.

 

CyberKnife offers many advantages:

  • No pain
  • No incisions or scarring
  • No invasive head or body frame
  • No anesthesia
  • Targets multiple locations during a single session
  • Accurately tracks tumors that move with breathing
  • Outpatient procedure of an hour or two
  • Only 1 to 5 treatments
  • No recovery time - quick return to normal activity

 CyberKnife Team Members

The CyberKnife Team (front row -- left to right) Mohir Hedeshian, MD, Diane Messersmith, MD, Arno Sungarian, MD, Cynthia Strniste, RTT, Karen Berni-Giarusso RN, Nancy Landry, RTT, Katelyn Richardson, RTT, (back row) Harrison Guan, PhD, Gerald McGillicuddy, MD, William Casey, M.D., Mark Brenner, MD, Phil Miller RN -- (not pictured) Michael O'Shea, MD and Carla Bradford, PhD.