Download Breakthrough Technology Expanding the Potential in

PRESS RELEASE
Stockholm 10 June 2003
Breakthrough Technology Expanding the Potential in Cancer
Treatment
Elekta introduces the new Elekta SynergyTM image-guided radiotherapy
research project. This project will define tomorrow’s leading edge cancer
treatment systems. These Elekta Synergy™ systems will have the potential
to expand the use of radiation medicine by delivering cancer tumor
targeting via a new integrated 3-dimensional imaging system
Elekta has an enviable track record of innovative technology with many market
leading products and world firsts on its list of credits. However as befits a
company founded by a clinician it not only develops outstanding medical
technology but it ensures this technology can be successfully implemented in a
busy clinical environment and make a real difference to the patient quality of life.
As treatments for cancer advances there is the increasing need for precision and
accuracy, providing more direct and intense radiation to the tumor with smaller
field sizes while avoiding damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Elekta is
currently addressing this need in an investigational setting. This “first of its kind”
image guided radiotherapy system addresses the need for optimized radiation
delivery by integrating IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) with stateof-the-art 3-D imaging technology.
“Elekta is the leader in the integration of imaging and radiation delivery for cancer
treatment” stated Laurent Leksell, Ph.D., CEO and President, Elekta. “Our
collaboration with leading clinical institutions enables Elekta to rapidly bring this
invention to the wider oncology community in a clinically practical, integrated
system”. The Elekta solution will address and solve the clinical workflow issues
added Dr. Leksell.
X-ray Volume imaging (XVI) is a unique technology invented by William
Beaumont hospital, in collaboration with Elekta. The Elekta Synergy™ project is
working to bring XVI to market as soon as possible. Currently Elekta has four
research systems installed and operational. The Elekta Synergy™ will be a
completely integrated system for 3-dimensional volume imaging and delivery of
cancer treatment. By imaging the patient at the time of treatment and in the
treatment position, the clinician can accurately pinpoint the position of the cancer
and surrounding critical organs. This will allow clinicians to introduce new clinical
techniques that aggressively targets cancer, potentially increasing the scope of
radiotherapy.
Elekta expects that Elekta Synergy™ image guided systems will become an
important part of the portfolio for large community centers and an essential tool
for leading university hospitals.
Elekta is the leader in x-ray volume imaging (XVI) and is the first and only vendor
with an operational system providing a full 3-D data set with sub-millimeter
resolution in all three dimensions utilizing a digital linear accelerator.
Reconstruction of slices in any direction combined with excellent visualization of
low contrast soft tissue has the potential to revolutionize localization of tumor and
critical organs at time of treatment.
Several years of development work conducted by Elekta and William Beaumont
Hospital has evaluated different technology and potential clinical protocols. This
has culminated in the formation of an international research group of four world
famous hospitals that will take the technology into the clinical phase, that of
defining the requirements to support the workflow associated with real-time
imaging in radiotherapy.
The hospitals in the Elekta SynergyTM research group are:
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Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Canada
William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK
The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
It is planned that the full Elekta SynergyTM system will be available for general
market in less than 18 months. However, an upgradable platform is available
now, based on the same, reliable Elekta Precise Treatment SystemTM currently in
distribution modified structurally to be able to accept the latest advances in
image-guided radiotherapy as they become available.
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Elekta is a world-leading supplier of advanced and innovative radiation oncology
and neurosurgery solutions and services for precise treatment of cancer and
brain disorders. Elekta’s solutions are clinically effective, cost efficient and gentle
on the patient.
For further information, please contact:
Lars Jonsteg, Group VP Corporate Communications, Elekta AB (publ),
Tel. +46 708 78 37 35
More information about Elekta can be found at: www.elekta.com