There are several devices, modified linear accelerators (linac) systems, in our area that are capable of delivering radiation, but that do not automatically and continuously adapt to tumor motion caused by organ movement or breathing and require more multiweek treatment sessions vs. 1-5 sessions or “fractions” with CyberKnife. The number of fractions depends on several factors, including the size of the lesion, location in the body, and your unique treatment plan developed by the multidisciplinary practitioners.
| CyberKnife® | GammaKnife® | Other Linac Systems (ie., Novalis®, Varian Trilogy®, TomoTherapy®) | |
| Continuously adapts to lesion motion caused by organ movement | Yes | N/A | No |
| Continuously adapts to lesion motion caused by breathing (respiratory tracking) | Yes | N/A | Varian Trilogy uses respiratory gating but does not track with radiosurgical precision; other systems do not adapt to breathing |
| Radiosurgery dedicated | Yes | Yes | No |
| Also does “conventional” radiotherapy | No | No | Yes |
| Anatomic area treatable with radiosurgical precision | Brain, spine, entire body | Brain | Brain, possibly other areas, depending |
| Rigid brain or body frame required for accuracy | No | Yes | Yes |
| Lesion size limitation | No | Yes | No |
| Capable of divided treatments to better preserve adjacent tissues | Yes | No | Yes |
