A groundbreaking medical innovation has officially arrived in the Philippines as Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) becomes the first in the country to launch the CyberKnife System—an advanced radiation technology designed to treat both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors.
Touted as a non-invasive, painless, and highly precise alternative to traditional radiation therapy, CyberKnife uses real-time, image-guided technology to target tumors with millimetric accuracy. This minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissues and reduces treatment-related side effects.
“CyberKnife is the only machine that has real-time tumor tracking. No other machine in the world can perform that… So, since it can track tumor real-time, you can deliver precise and accurate treatment. Target the tumor only, we only put 1-3 millimeter margin, very very small,” said Dr. Jaemelyn Fernandez-Ramos, CK Expert at Asian Hospital's Asian Cancer Institute.
Fewer sessions, faster results
Unlike conventional radiotherapy, which may require 25 to 30 sessions lasting nearly an hour each, CyberKnife can reduce treatment time to just 1 to 5 sessions, with each session lasting only 15 to 20 minutes. For cancer patients, this means faster recovery and improved quality of life.
“Kaya niyang magbigay ng napakataas na dose. Since kaya niyang magbigay ng napakataas na dose, kaya namin i-shorten ‘yung treatment from 25 to 1 to 5 sessions only for a patient. So, parang nasho-shorten natin ‘yung treatment at the same time, name-maintain natin na effective pa rin ‘yung pag-treat natin sa bukol ng patient,” Dr. Fernandez-Ramos explained.
“We don’t want naman na nauubos nag time nila everyday na lang sa pagti-treat ng radiation. [Kaya] how about give them a quality of life if you can shorten the treatment from 1 to 2 months to only 1 week,” she added.
Meanwhile, AHMC President and CEO Dr. Beaver Tamesis emphasized that the arrival of the CyberKnife System marks a significant milestone in Philippine healthcare, especially amid rising cancer cases and the growing demand for specialized therapies.
“Natutuwa kami na nandito na siya kasi talagang mapapaandar na namin ‘yung delivery of services sa mga talagang nangangailangan. Nakikita namin ‘yung growth ng cancer, the need for specialized therapy is growing like crazy, so, sabi namin, ‘we have to find a way na makatulong tayo’ and this is one of the ways na nakikita natin,” said Dr. Tamesis.
“Talagang binuksan na namin ang aming pintuan to open up for more patients to be able to avail on this life-changing therapist.”
AHMC takes pride in being the first to bring this innovation to the country, driven by the mission to provide more accessible and effective cancer care.
“The decision that we took was grounded on the evidence kung gaano karaming pasyente, what is the medical trend na kailangan ng mga ‘yon and when we realized that it was high time na mayroong ganitong therapy, it became an easy decision on our part \[na] ‘ipaglalaban natin ‘to’,” he said.
Covered by PhilHealth
To make the treatment more accessible, Dr. Tamesis assured that both the sessions and medications under the CyberKnife System are covered by PhilHealth, easing the financial burden on patients.
“‘Yung mga gamot namin, ‘yung mga treatment pattern namin, availability of facilities, we work very closely with PhilHealth para makasigurado kami na pasok ang pasyente sa criteria nila and syempre ang importante ay maka-collect din kami para talagang wala nang ilalabas ang pasyente ni-isang kusing.”
The CyberKnife System is capable of treating a wide range of tumors, including brain lesions, lung cancer, prostate cancer, liver, kidney, pancreatic, and pediatric cancers, among others.
