Elekta to Demonstrate Agility Beam-shaping Solution at 2012 ASTRO Annual Meeting

BOSTON, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 54^th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), October 28-31 in Boston, Elekta (booth #5067) will highlight its Agility™* 160-leaf multi-leaf collimator (MLC), which has been shipped to more than 20 countries worldwide in the last six months. Agility, a groundbreaking new design of the MLC, features leaf speeds that are twice as fast as conventional beam-shaping devices, and offers a new level of conformance to tumor targets for rapid, accurate patient treatments.

Clinical use of Agility began on October 3 at Sibley Memorial Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine (Washington, D.C.), making it the first U.S. center to employ the innovative technology. In addition, use of Agility is imminent at several North American centers, including the University of California, Davis (Davis, Calif.) and William Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, Mich.).

"We acquired Elekta Agility because we anticipate improved beam delivery efficiency with the high-speed leaf motion and better beam-shaping capabilities with the 5 mm leaf width," says Dr. Di Yan, D.Sc., Chief Physicist at William Beaumont. "Equally important is the low radiation transmission that Agility provides for enhanced patient protection."

UC Davis Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology, Richard Valicenti, M.D., M.A., adds: "We're very excited about Agility. The technology is cutting edge, and we are expecting more accurate, safer treatments for our patients with the ability to more conformally shape the dose to the tumor target. In addition, the higher leaf speed will allow us to reduce our treatment times significantly in the interest of patient comfort." Dr. Valicenti notes that UC Davis is scheduled to treat its first patient with Agility on November 9.

ASTRO attendees invited to visit Elekta booth 5067 for product demonstrations

• Agility multi-leaf collimator (MLC) integrated with Elekta Infinity™ digital linear accelerator – attend a live speaker presentation in the Elekta booth every hour, Sunday, October 28 through Tuesday, October 30, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Oncentra^® Brachy v 4.3 – learn how clinicians can simplify complex volume-based brachytherapy treatment planning. Oncentra Brachy includes tools and technology to accelerate the planning workflow, in addition to 25 improvements to increase ease-of-use.
• MOSAIQ^® Evaluate* – see how the latest generation of treatment planning software will allow the clinician to review treatment plans from within MOSAIQ, eliminating the need to go to a separate planning system.
• Clarity^® 4D Monitoring using Autoscan* – discover how clinicians can now monitor the motion of the prostate and surrounding tissues and organs, in real time and with sub-millimetric accuracy during beam delivery.
• Identify™ – find out how clinicians can enhance patient safety and increase staff confidence in the identification of patients and accessories. Identify features advanced technology to provide aid to ensure the right patient is being treated at the right location and with the correct set up and equipment.

Additional Elekta activities

• The MOSAIQ Medical Oncology Summit is being held Friday, October 26 at the Hynes Convention Center, Ballroom A on Level 3. Arthur P. Staddon, M.D., Clinical Professor at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will present the keynote address.
• The 21st Annual Elekta Oncology Users Meeting (EOUM) convenes Saturday, October 27 at the Hynes Convention Center. Customers using any Elekta solution are welcome to attend and take advantage of this free educational opportunity. Dr. Marla Shapiro, among Canada's most trusted guides to personal health and well-being, will serve as keynote speaker.
• The Elekta Charity Bash, benefiting Massachusetts-based Facing Cancer Together (FCT), will be held Saturday, October 27 from 8 - 11 p.m. at the Harvard Club of Boston. Elekta is proud to support FCT for their dedication to providing resources and services to individuals with cancer at all stages of the disease. Tickets must be purchased in advance for this event and will not be sold at the door.
• Elekta is a Platinum sponsor of American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) Radiation Therapy Conference and will have a booth on the fourth floor of the Boston Marriott Copley Place. Sunday, October 28 at 7:30 a.m., Elekta will introduce the general session and speak about Elekta's commitment to ASRT.
• Elekta supports the Society for Radiation Oncology Administrators (SROA) as a Titanium sponsor and will exhibit at the SROA Annual Meeting on the first floor of the Hyatt Regency Cambridge, Booth #2. Elekta is sponsoring the SROA President's Party Tuesday, October 30.
• Elekta's Capital Markets Day will be held Monday, October 29, from 1 - 3:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Elekta's President and CEO, Tomas Puusepp, together with other members of Elekta's management team, will present the company and highlight the product and solutions portfolio. Visit elekta.com to watch live.

Follow the Elekta Twitter handle, @Elekta, for real-time updates from the ASTRO show floor. To schedule a briefing with an Elekta executive or receive a product demonstration, contact Michelle Joiner at +1 678-938-4163.

*Agility is not available for sale or distribution in all markets. Please contact the local Elekta representative for details. MOSAIQ Evaluate and Clarity® 4D Monitoring using Autoscan are currently under 510(k) review by the U.S. FDA and are not currently available in the U.S.

For further information, please contact:
Johan Andersson Melbi, 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.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 6,000 hospitals worldwide. Elekta employs around 3,400 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