STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- This week has seen the holding of the 8th Biennial ESTRO meeting on Physics and Radiation Technology for Clinical Radiotherapy -- and the pre-meeting workshop on 'Image Guided Radiotherapy' taking place in Lisbon, Portugal. This meeting has seen presentation of a record 38 papers on Elekta technologies -- with 25 specifically regarding Elekta's Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) portfolio. These papers clearly demonstrated that Elekta Synergy(r) is still the only linear accelerator with integrated 3D Imaging capability in routine clinical use.
Elekta has lead the world with its introduction of a state-of-the-art digital linear accelerator with an integrated high resolution 3D imaging system. Elekta Synergy was the first linear accelerator with integrated kilovoltage X-ray Volume Imaging for high resolution 3D imaging. This technology makes it possible to visualize the target as a three dimensional volume, as well as surrounding tissue, at the time of treatment, increasing precision and accuracy as well as reducing the risk of irradiating surrounding healthy tissue.
Elekta Synergy has been developed in conjunction with four of the world's leading cancer centers and as such benefits from protocols driven by real-life clinical experience and a suite of software tools designed to support efficient workflow in today's busy clinic.
Papers were also presented on the stereotactic features of Elekta Synergy(r) S, which extend the image-guided capability of the Elekta Synergy system, offering exciting new possibilities for treating small tumors close to critical structures. The system includes Elekta's innovative Beam Modulator(tm), an integrated, high-resolution, multi-leaf collimator designed to be used on surgical sites outside the brain, such as cancers of the spine, liver, neck, prostate, pancreas and lung.
"We are really happy to see the growing breadth of appreciation of our IGRT solutions by the radiation therapy community," said Tomas Puusepp, President and CEO of Elekta, and continued; "Combining our dominance of clinical presentations on 3D IGRT with over 250 clinicians who attended our 'Experience Clinical Confidence with Elekta' symposium, which included IGRT experiences from multiple sites, we must offer our thanks to our research collaborating customers, without whom we would not be in the world-leading position we occupy today."
At the accompanying exhibition, many Elekta and IMPAC users took advantage of the opportunity to view first-hand the workflow improvements delivered by the integration of the Elekta Synergy system with IMPAC's Image-Guided Treatment Management(tm) (IGTM) system. IGTM is IMPAC's charting-based, vendor-independent support of IGRT. Elekta also displayed its protocol-guided planning workflow solution, which optimizes IMRT by simplifying the process of planning, verifying and delivering, offering everyday IMRT that meets both clinical and equipment utilization.
About Elekta
Elekta is an international medical-technology Group, providing meaningful clinical solutions, comprehensive information systems and services for improved cancer care and management of brain disorders. All of Elekta's solutions employ non-invasive or minimally invasive techniques and are therefore clinically effective, gentle on the patient and cost-effective.
Clinical solutions include among others Leksell Gamma Knife(r) for non-invasive treatment of brain surgery and Elekta Synergy(r) for image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Following the acquisition of IMPAC Medical Systems Inc. in April 2005, The Elekta Group is the world's largest supplier of oncology software.
Elekta's systems and solutions are used at over 3,000 hospitals around the world to treat cancer and manage clinical operations as well as to diagnose and treat brain disorders, including tumors, vascular malformations and functional disorders.
With approx. 1,700 employees, Elekta's corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden and the company is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange under the ticker EKTAb.
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