American Brachytherapy Society Receives $160,000 Grant from Nucletron, an Elekta Company, to Fund Brachytherapy Physician and Physics Residency Program

ATLANTA, Aug. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucletron, an Elekta company, has signed an agreement with the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) to continue to support the implementation of a residency-level training program in brachytherapy for radiation oncologists and physicists from the U.S. as well as other countries.

Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy in which a radiation source is placed inside or next to a tumor requiring treatment. It is commonly used as an effective treatment for gynecological cancers, as well as for cancers of the prostate, breast, skin, head and neck, and in other clinical situations in which soft tissue is involved.

"Because Elekta is dedicated to making cancer care technology as therapeutic and efficient as possible, we are committed to ensuring that users of our technology have access to high-quality, educational programs," says Jay Hoey, Executive Vice President, Elekta North America. "This is the reason why our partnership with ABS is so critical. It provides a key opportunity for young radiation oncologists and physicists to develop experience in brachytherapy."

ABS and Nucletron have had a long-standing partnership to promote the value of brachytherapy as a critically important modality in cancer management. As part of that relationship, one common goal is the need to provide educational opportunities to the worldwide brachytherapy community.

"We see the exposure of physicians and physicists to high quality brachytherapy during their training as vital to the appropriate use and future growth of this important cancer fighting modality worldwide," says Dr. Bradley Prestidge, Chairman of the Board of the ABS and Director of the ABS Residency Program.  "This training program would not otherwise be possible without the support of Nucletron, an Elekta company."

For the past six years, Nucletron has supported the ABS brachytherapy physician residency program, and has recently begun to establish a dedicated program for physicists as well.

To learn more, visit www.americanbrachytherapy.org.

For further information, please contact:
Johan Andersson, Director, Investor Relations, Elekta AB
Tel: +46 702 100 451, email: [email protected]  
Time zone: CET: Central European Time

Michelle Joiner, Director, Global Public Relations and Brand Management, Elekta
Tel: +1 770-670-2447, email: [email protected]
Time zone: ET: Eastern Time

About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives.

Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 6,000 hospitals worldwide. Elekta employs around 3,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. Website: www.elekta.com.

SOURCE Elekta