Hospital in Spain First to Treat Skin Cancer Patients with Esteya Electronic Brachytherapy System

VALENCIA, Spain, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospital La Fe, a long-time clinical collaborator of Nucletron, an Elekta company, is nearing the conclusion of the enrollment phase of a clinical study with the new Esteya® electronic brachytherapy system for treating skin cancer. First clinical data on efficacy are expected in about two months, but physicians in the center's radiotherapy department already are reporting that patients have tolerated the treatments well and that the system is very user-friendly.

The enrollment of the first group of 20 patients ever to receive treatment with Esteya, was completed in October. The center is using a standard treatment protocol of 36.6 Gy over six fractions, 6.1 Gy per fraction delivered twice weekly.

"The patients have accepted the treatment very well and side effects reported for the first treated patients have been very mild, typically just little skin reddening or itching," says José Perez-Calatayud, Head of Medical Physics at Hospital La Fe. "The treatment delivery times have averaged less than three minutes per lesion, for a total treatment session of seven to eight minutes. This short therapy delivery is important, certainly, for patients with multiple lesions. One of the patients we treated had nine lesions."

"With five surface applicators ranging in size from 1 cm to 3 cm, we have a great opportunity to adapt to the lesion's size, thus helping us avoid exposing normal tissue," Perez-Calatayud adds. "And the leakage dose – the dose outside the volume to be treated – is extremely low due to the combination of low energy and tungsten shielding of the applicators."

Planning and delivery of electronic brachytherapy at Hospital La Fe has been exceptionally straightforward.

"The graphical user interface is uncomplicated and patient set-up is quite simple, contributing to a smooth, efficient workflow," he says.

For more information, visit www.Esteya.com.

Availability of Esteya in identified markets is subject to regulatory approvals.

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.

Today, 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 STO:EKTAB. Website: www.elekta.com.

SOURCE Elekta