Elekta Opens a New Window into Human Brain Activity, Focuses on Brain Mets at 2010 AANS Meeting

ATLANTA and PHILADELPHIA, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 2010 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Meeting, May 1-5 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Elekta will host a series of presentations highlighting Elekta Neuromag®, a tool that measures and records brain activity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) technology. Led by Froedert & Medical College of Wisconsin neurosurgeon, Brian Kopell, M.D., the sessions will take place at Elekta booth 1325 during exhibition hours:

• Utility of MEG in Pre-surgical Mapping: Monday, May 3 at 9:30 a.m.
• MEG Utility in Neuromodulation: Monday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m.
• Utility of MEG in Pre-surgical Mapping: Tuesday, May 4 at 9:30 a.m.

Completely non-invasive and painless, Elekta Neuromag allows clinicians to monitor the brain in action—offering a better understanding of both normal and abnormal brain function, as well as disorders such as epilepsy. In use at 14 clinical programs in the United States, benefits of the system recently were featured on the ABC News program, Good Morning America.(1)

Focus on treating brain metastases with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion

Elekta is also increasing its focus on treating brain metastases (or mets) using precision radiosurgery as provided by Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™. It is estimated that approximately 170,000 cancer patients develop brain mets each year. Whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) has been a common treatment for mets, but this technique comes with the risk of neurocognitive deficits and can result in subsequent quality of life issues.

A recent study(2) shows that patients who received a combined therapy of stereotactic radiosurgery and WBRT to treat one to three brain mets had more than two times the risk of developing learning and memory problems than those treated with stereotactic radiosurgery alone. The researchers concluded that stereotactic radiosurgery, like Perfexion, could be used as the primary and sole treatment technique for these patients.

These results reinforce the longstanding reputation of Gamma Knife® surgery as the premier technique for treating brain mets, by virtue of successful outcomes data and the method's ease of use and patient friendliness. More than 100,000 patients have been treated with Gamma Knife surgery for brain mets. Now, with Perfexion, no other technology can treat multiple brain targets with the same clinical outcome and speed.

Other meeting highlights

In addition, Elekta will demonstrate highly technical solutions that offer new possibilities for the treatment of cancer and brain disorders, including:

• Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ equipped with Extend™, a program that lets clinicians apply the power and precision of Gamma Knife surgery to a broader class of targets, including cancers of the head and neck. Including a re-locatable frame and support for repeatable or "hypofractionated" treatments, Extend provides cross-functional advantages in SRS and SRT for neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists.

• Two new Leksell GammaPlan® 10.0 products will be unveiled—Inverse Planning and Convolution. Inverse Planning enables automatic planning with a high degree of freedom and accuracy. Convolution enhances treatment planning by calculating the dose while taking into account all types of tissues and cavities in the skull.

• Leksell Stereotactic System®, a complete stereotactic system that offers the level of accuracy and reliability required to perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures with ease and confidence. The largest stereotactic user group in the world, more than 1,800 systems are in use at more than 1,300 treatment and training sites.

• Leksell SurgiPlan®, Elekta's advanced image-based neurosurgical planning software specifically designed for Leksell Stereotactic System. Enhancing precision and confidence, SurgiPlan offers powerful functions to visualize and analyze patient images, and to plan and evaluate different surgical approaches.

Elekta technology also will be at work during six practical clinic sessions. For a complete schedule, visit www.elekta.com/aans-practical-clinics.

(1) "Sixty Seizures to None: Young Girl Overcomes Epilepsy." Narr: Dr. Richard Besser. Good Morning America. ABC. New York. 3 February 2010.

(2) EL, Wefel JS, Hess KR, et al. Neurocognition in patients with brain metastases treated with radiosurgery or radiosurgery plus whole-brain irradiation: a randomized controlled trial. Lancet Oncology. 2009; 10: 1037-1044.

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 and radiosurgery, 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, making the future possible today.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.

Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.com.

SOURCE Elekta