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Modern radiosurgery: precise, innovative, humane

Our center is one of the leading facilities for innovative radiosurgery.

With CyberKnife and ZAP-X, we offer two high-precision radiosurgical tumor treatments that are performed with an accuracy of less than one millimeter. Whether acoustic neuromas or vestibular schwannomas, meningiomas, prostate carcinomas, or other selected indications—these modern, high-tech treatments enable effective, pain-free, and gentle therapy that offers maximum comfort.

Learn more about the advantages of our treatment methods—together we will find the best way to improve your health and quality of life.

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What is modern radiosurgery?

Modern radiosurgery is a highly precise treatment method for benign and malignant tumors—without the need for surgery.

Thanks to innovative image-guided precision robotics, such as CyberKnife and ZAP-X technology, high-energy photons are focused with extreme accuracy on the diseased tissue to destroy the tumor in a targeted manner.

In many cases, a single treatment session is sufficient.

For you, this means maximum precision of therapy, minimal stress, and a short treatment duration. Rehabilitation is not necessary.

But how does radiosurgical therapy differ from conventional radiation therapy? What are the advantages for you? And for which diseases is radiosurgery suitable? Find out here.

Gamma Knife, CyberKnife, and ZAP-X: Milestones in radiosurgery

Modern radiosurgery can be traced back to Swedish neurosurgeon Lars Leksell, who first used the Gamma Knife on November 2, 1967. In Germany, treatment with the Leksell Gamma Knife was established in Munich in 1994. This is also where the first German robot-guided CyberKnife system for high-precision tumor therapy in almost all areas of the body was introduced in 2005.

ZAP-X: The latest innovation

In 2021, with the ERCM, we were among the first providers worldwide to also put the ZAP-X robotic treatment system into operation—a groundbreaking procedure specifically for brain tumors and diseases in the head and neck area.

A comparison: While surgery for a brain tumor often takes 5 hours, ZAP-X therapy can sometimes be completed in about 15 minutes.

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Definition: Radiosurgery

Modern radiosurgery is a highly advanced photon treatment that, in selected cases, represents a safe and gentle alternative to surgery or conventional radiation therapy. Both benign tumors and various types of cancer can be treated specifically with this method.

Above-average treatment success rates:

If CyberKnife or ZAP-X therapy is suitable for your diagnosis, the success rates are 90% or higher in most cases.

CyberKnife

Precise tumor therapy for benign and malignant neoplasms in all regions of the body.
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ZAP-X

Precise tumor therapy specifically for treatments in the head and neck area
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Advantages of radiosurgery

If a tumor can be treated with radiosurgery using CyberKnife or ZAP-X therapy, this offers numerous advantages for patients:

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    Short treatment duration

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    No surgical risks

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    Painless treatment

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    No or only minor side effects

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    No anesthesia required

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    No inpatient hospital stay

Difference between radiosurgery and conventional radiation therapy


Highly precise radiosurgical treatment should not be confused with conventional radiation therapy.

While conventional radiation therapy involves up to 40 sessions with low doses, CyberKnife and ZAP-X technology uses high-dose, extremely precise tumor therapy: Radiosurgical treatment can be limited to the tumor with extreme accuracy, sparing surrounding healthy tissue as much as possible.

This precision is not possible with conventional radiation therapy. In contrast to radiosurgery, additional stress on healthy tissue is therefore unavoidable with conventional radiation therapy.

Possible areas of application

Originally developed for the treatment of benign brain tumors and brain metastases, modern radiosurgery can now be used for a wide range of benign and malignant tumors throughout the body.

Intracerebral & neck radiosurgery:

Rest of the body radiosurgery:

Frequently asked questions about modern radiosurgery

Radiosurgical therapy is based on a combination of digital imaging and precision robotics. During treatment, your body movements are detected by an intelligent image localization system. Positions are continuously recalculated and compensated for by the robot. In the case of tumors that move with breathing, for example, a 3D camera also records external breathing in order to dynamically adjust the treatment dose to the target – the robot “breathes” along with the patient. During treatment, the therapy unit rotates around the patient – typically 100 to 150 different angles of incidence (out of 1,800 possible) per session. In this way, the treatment dose – bundled from different directions – hits the diseased tissue with pinpoint accuracy. The incoming energy intersects there in such a way that a therapeutic dose is achieved that destroys the tumor. The high-energy precision treatment damages the tumor cells in their genetic material (DNA) and biologically eliminates them. Prevented from dividing in this way, diseased cells cannot continue to multiply. The blood supply to the tumor tissue is also cut off – the tumor dies. It regresses within a period of a few weeks to months.

Radiosurgical treatments with CyberKnife and ZAP-X therapy are safe and particularly gentle procedures. The treatment dose is adjusted to the target volume with submillimeter precision. This means that the treatment always targets only the tumor, sparing the surrounding healthy tissue as much as possible. The technical precision and safety of our radiosurgical systems at ERCM Munich are checked daily by specialized medical physicists.

Compared to percutaneous, invasive procedures, radiosurgical therapy has the major advantage of being a non-invasive method, meaning that the body surface does not need to be damaged for the therapy to be successful. Before treating some organs that can be moved or shifted during breathing (e.g., lungs, prostate), it may be necessary to place gold markers in the diseased tissue using a minimally invasive technique under local anesthesia in order to mark the tumor. The implanted markers are used for precise targeting during therapy (fiducial tracking).