CyberKnife X-ray Treatment of Primary or Metastatic Liver Cancers

CyberKnife^® treatment is a precise form of radiation therapy that administers high energy x-rays — usually in one or two sessions — to tumors located within the body.

The Liver Cancer Center uses the CyberKnife to treat inoperable primary or metastatic liver cancers. We've had encouraging results treating metastatic liver cancers since we began using the CyberKnife in 2007.

Contact the UPMC Liver Cancer Center

To schedule an appointment, or for more information, call the UPMC Liver Cancer Center, toll-free, at 1-855-745-4837.

What to Expect

Overview

A specialized radiation oncology team of doctors and physicists directs the entire treatment, carefully calculating the right dose of radiation.

Length of procedure

A single four to five hour session.

Fiducial Placement and CT scan

To achieve local destruction of the tumor, a member of the Liver Cancer Center team will:

• Inject several small, gold, BB-sized markers (fiducials) into areas around the tumor. This allows for pinpoint targeting of the cancer by the x-ray beams.
• Take a planning CT scan to identify the tumor and the x-ray field

CyberKnife Treatment and Follow-up

Following your planning CT scan, you will return at a later time for the actual CyberKnife treatment.

• You will be awake during the treatment.
• It's usually painless and takes four to five hours.
• You will have follow-up CT scans, at routine intervals, to assess for destruction of the cancer and monitor for any recurrences.