Cyberknife radiosurgery for metastatic spine tumors

The CyberKnife (Accuray, Sunnyvale, CA) is an image-guided frameless stereotactic radiosurgery system that allows for the radiosurgical treatment of spinal lesions. Similar to intracranial radiosurgery, stereotactic radiosurgery now has a feasible and safe delivery system available for the treatment of spinal metastatic lesions. The major potential benefit of radiosurgical ablation of spinal lesions is a relatively short treatment time combined with potentially better control of the tumor with minimal risk of side effects. CyberKnife spinal radiosurgery offers a new and important alternative therapeutic modality for the treatment of spinal metastases in medically inoperable patients, previously irradiated sites, and for lesions not amenable to open surgical techniques or as an adjunct to surgery. Spinal radiosurgery is likely to become an essential part of any neurosurgical spine center that treats a large number of patients with spinal metastases.