STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 24, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The University of California Davis Cancer Center, Radiation Oncology (Sacramento, Calif. USA), recently ordered an Elekta Synergy(TM) system, the world's first radiation treatment system with an integrated 3D imaging system that will enable doctors to obtain cone beam CT images of patients just before their treatment. This capability will allow physicians to visualize tumors at the point of treatment to more precisely target tumors with radiation beams. UC Davis's department of radiation oncology will accept delivery of the Elekta Synergy(TM) in 2004.
UC Davis Cancer Center acquired Elekta Synergy(TM) to allow imaging of patients in the treatment position, according to Srinivasan Vijayakumar, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Elekta Synergy(TM) system's ability to image the patient in the treatment position is considered one of the most significant developments in the last five years toward target-based radiotherapy.
Elekta Synergy(TM), manufactured by Elekta, is the first traditional medical linear accelerator-based system capable of performing Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), a new treatment approach that relies on images of anatomy and disease to guide radiation delivery precisely to the tumor while sparing healthy tissues.
Elekta is currently taking orders and installing Elekta Synergy(TM) linear accelerators at leading cancer clinics both in the United States and Europe.
A new approach to radiation therapy
To determine the precise location of tumors and normal surrounding tissues, traditional radiotherapy calls for imaging studies to be done several days before treatment.
"Doctors use these images to develop a treatment plan," Dr. Vijayakumar says. "However, because tumors are likely to change shape or move in the pre-treatment period, we have to use a 'margin of error' and treat a zone around the tumor that is larger than the tumor itself. This uncertainty about the tumor's exact position has always meant using lower than desired radiation doses to avoid applying excessive doses to surrounding normal tissues."
Elekta Synergy(TM) will enable UC Davis Cancer Center radiation oncologists to obtain images just before treatment with the patient in the exact position he or she will be treated in. This means not only less chance for errors in tumor targeting and in patient positioning, but also the ability to increase the dose to the tumor by virtue of more certainty in the tumor's location. The goal is to improve the patient's quality of life and the chances for long-term survival.
Elekta Synergy(TM) enhances advanced radiotherapy techniques
The immediacy and accuracy of Elekta Synergy(TM) will be especially important for the new, highly targeted forms of radiotherapy, such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). Simply put, IMRT "paints" radiation doses of varying intensity on a tumor target -- with higher doses at the tumor center and steeply falling doses closer to the tumor's outer borders. This IMRT "dose distribution" is highly customized to the tumor's shape, resulting in the best possible balance between cancer killing and the sparing of nearby normal tissues and critical organs. The main challenge in IMRT, however, has been uncertainty about the tumor's precise location.
"In IMRT, it is vital to place the dose correctly -- there's no advantage to IMRT if you can't precisely place the dose because you can't visualize the target," Dr. Vijayakumar says.
The benefit of Elekta Synergy(TM) is that imaging the patient just before treatment allows delivery of IMRT with much greater accuracy and clinical confidence.
The Elekta Synergy(TM) system at UC Davis Cancer Center should be ready for clinical use in August 2004. It will be used for treatment of prostate, lung, head and neck and gynecological cancers. An order for an Elekta Synergy(TM) S system -- the stereotactic extracranial version of Elekta Synergy(TM) -- could come within the next 12-18 months.
UC Davis Radiation Oncology becomes Elekta Center of Distinction
The January 2004 Elekta Synergy(TM) system order follows UC Davis Cancer Center's acquisition of Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife(R) C late last year. Leksell Gamma Knife(R) is the gold-standard stereotactic radiosurgery system for treatment of smaller intracranial lesions and abnormalities. The two acquisitions have made UC Davis Radiation Oncology an Elekta Center of Distinction -- which describes an Elekta customer that is uniquely positioned to showcase the complete line of Elekta products, including Leksell Gamma Knife(R), Precise Treatment System(TM) digital accelerator, PrecisePLAN(R) treatment planning and Stereotactic Body Frame(R).
Elekta is honored to be part of UC Davis Cancer Center's plans for taking radiation therapy to the next level. It is also gratifying that a world-renowned cancer treatment center such as UC Davis Cancer Center appreciates the proven track record of Leksell Gamma Knife(R) C and recognizes the tremendous potential of Elekta Synergy(TM) to improve the treatment of serious disease.
For further information, please contact:
International: Peter Ejemyr, Group VP Corporate Communications, Elekta AB (publ), Phone: +46 733 611 000, e-mail: peter.ejemyr@elekta.com
United States: Lars Jonsteg, VP Investor Relations North America, Elekta, USA Phone: +1 770-670-2419, e-mail: lars.jonsteg@elekta.com
About Elekta:
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 to the patient.
For additional information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.com
About UC Davis Medical Center
The UC Davis Cancer Center is part of the UC Davis Medical Center, one of five University of California teaching hospitals. As the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center between San Francisco and Portland, Ore. UC Davis Cancer Center is an integral part of the health and well-being of Northern Californians.
This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net
The following files are available for download:
http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/03/24/20040324BIT00590/wkr0001.doc
http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/03/24/20040324BIT00590/wkr0002.pdf