THE FIRST CYBERKNIFE IN SWITZERLAND

HIRSLANDEN SETS RADIOTHERAPY MILESTONE

Klinik Hirslanden started to offer tumour treatment with the CyberKnife at the beginning of March 2009. The device is used to apply a single, highly accurate, powerful dose of radiation to certain tumours. The move makes Hirslanden Radiotherapy the only radio-oncology institution in Switzerland to cover all areas of modern radiotherapy."Hirslanden is breaking completely new ground by acquiring the CyberKnife," commented Hirslanden CEO Dr Ole Wiesinger at the commissioning ceremony. "The CyberKnife enables us to roll out innovative new treatment concepts for the benefit of our patients and expand our position as the leading private hospital group in Switzerland for oncology." The CyberKnife system is the world's only non-invasive, robot-controlled radiological system used to treat tumours at any position in the body. The device combines an image-controlled tumour location function with a computer-controlled robotic arm and a system to precisely position the patient. A continuous image-guidance system with computer-controlled robot technology tracks tumour and patient movements in real-time during the whole of the treatment, identifying and correcting changes in position. A new era has dawned for affected patients: uniting state-of-the-art technologies in one device facilitates extremely precise, highdosage radiotherapy, while damage to the surrounding tissue is simultaneously minimised.Invasive head and body frames are no longer required.The CyberKnife technology was developed in the United States in 1997 and has been routinely used by radiotherapy institutes for ten years. Including the device in Zurich, there are 14 CyberKnife systems in use in Europe.In all, 155 CyberKnife systems have been installed in leading medical centres in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and more than 50,000 patients have been treated.