Netherlands Clinic is First in Country to Treat Cancer Patients with Elekta's Agility Beam-shaping Solution for Radiation Therapy

NIJMEGEN, Netherlands, Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – The first of three newly acquired Elekta Synergy® treatment systems equipped with Agility™* 160-leaf multi-leaf collimator (MLC) is now up and running clinically at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center – making the clinic the first in the Netherlands to use Agility. The first patient, a 48-year-old woman, was treated on September 10 and clinicians have treated 70 additional patients since then, encompassing a wide range of cancers.

"Our first experiences with Agility have gone perfectly – the high leaf speed of Agility has made beam delivery speed much faster, especially with IMRT [Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy] plans," says Rene Monshouwer, Ph.D., Clinical Physicist at Radboud. "And, comparing the system with Agility to one without Agility, the leaf transmission is lower."

Dr. Monshouwer adds that the high resolution leaves of Agility and low transmission will help Radboud begin using Agility in stereotactic treatments in the next few months.

"These are more complex treatments involving small structures in close proximity to organs-at-risk, so we expect Agility to benefit those treatments," he says. "Then, once we switch from IMRT to Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy [VMAT] for those cases, we will see a big advance in the quality and speed of treatment."

Elekta reinvented beam shaping, creating a solution that boasts leaf speeds that are twice as fast as conventional devices. The 160 5 mm leaves can interdigitate to enable treatment of island targets and multiple targets in a single session, and optical leaf positioning technology improves accuracy and increases the reliability and seamlessness of beam shaping. The exceptionally low leaf transmission of less than 0.5 percent enhances treatment delivery while reducing integral dose. The integrated whole results in a sophisticated multi-functional beam-shaping solution.

Two of the three Elekta Synergy systems that Radboud recently acquired will come equipped with Agility as well, a second system for the Nijmegen satellite facility and one for a satellite clinic in Boxmeer, the former becoming clinically operational in November  2012. The Synergy systems with Agility join four other existing Elekta linear accelerators at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center. At least one of the systems in Radboud also will be upgraded to Agility.

Learn more about Agility at www.elekta.com/agility.

*Agility is not available for sale or distribution in all markets. Please contact the local Elekta representative for details.

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