CyberKnife is the Latest Weapon in the Fight Against Cancer

 
[caption id="attachment_7571" align="alignright" width="200"] Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth is home to Australia's first CyberKnife[/caption]
Western Australia is now home to Australia's first CyberKnife, a technologically advanced weapon in the fight against cancer, which uses high-dose radiation to treat certain tumours.
 Unveiling the new equipment at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital today, Health Minister Kim Hames said he expected as many as 450 patients to benefit from such treatment each year.
 “WA is the first State in Australia to have a CyberKnife, and this $9million investment demonstrates the State Government's commitment to delivering the very best health care to West Australians,” Dr Hames said.
 “The CyberKnife enables doctors to treat tumours with pinpoint accuracy.  It is particularly beneficial for the treatment of certain lung, brain, spine, liver and prostate cancers which otherwise may be inoperable, or where other treatment options may compromise other vital organs.
 “Another advantage is its ability to treat tumours that move, such as those in the lungs, to a greater level of accuracy, which is something other technology is not able to do.”
 Part of the new State Cancer Centre at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital has been purpose-designed to accommodate the CyberKnife, which will operate alongside the five linear accelerators already being used to treat patients with radiation therapy.