Philips Showcases Integrated Radiation Oncology Suite to Simplify Treatment Planning

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- At this year's Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is demonstrating how the integration of imaging and treatment planning can help simplify the clinician and patient experience.

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Specially designed radiation oncology configurations help identify cancers and provide accurate views for treatment

Understanding that radiation oncologists rely on information from multiple departments and a variety of imaging and diagnostic equipment, Philips is focusing on solutions that are intuitive and produce reliable results to help optimize clinical performance and improve patient care.  At ASTRO, Philips is illustrating the importance of accurate treatment planning solutions with the introduction of the Panorama High Field Open (HFO) Oncology Configuration for radiation therapy, a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging solution for dedicated oncology use.  The Oncology Configuration offers healthcare professionals relevant clinical insight, supports image registration for radiation therapy planning and follow-up.  The new MR configuration complements the existing roster of solutions Philips offers to help simplify treatment planning for clinicians.

Philips innovations in radiation oncology are making an impact around the globe. Notably, more than 550 Brilliance CT Big Bore solutions are in use worldwide. At ASTRO, Philips will be demonstrating features on the system including 4-D imaging, a toolkit to evaluate organ motion, technology to help clinicians view critical structures near the sites of dense metal objects and a tool which allows clinicians to "mark" an area for treatment and then initiate treatment via one workstation.  In addition to the growing installation base of the CT Big Bore, with more than 25 GEMINI TF Big Bore PET/CTs installed since the system's introduction in September of 2009, clinicians are seeing first-hand how it enhances the accuracy of treatment planning, while meeting the unique workflow challenges, performance and connectivity requirements of radiation oncology.

"Physicians have long known that adding functional PET imaging to anatomical CT imaging would improve the ability to delineate tumors," said Steven Braff, M.D., chair, Radiology Department, Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, VT.  "However, previous systems had a narrow bore size, and offered poor positional accuracy.  We often find ourselves using the 85 centimeter opening of the GEMINI system to its full potential. The large bore is ideal when treating patients who need to be in extended positions and helps us provide the best care possible.  The spacious opening is also very well-suited for patients with a high BMI, such as many of the cardiology patients we see."

Centralizing therapy planning to provide greater access to complex plans and speed treatment

What sets Philips' integrated radiation oncology solutions apart is its centralized treatment planning.  The Pinnacle SmartEnterprise centralizes radiation therapy planning and provides remote access to complex therapy plans to treat patients across multiple locations, while the Pinnacle SmartArc offers a planning module for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), an intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) modality that combines dynamic gantry motion with beam-intensity modulation. It is designed to significantly reduce treatment time compared with traditional IMRT.

Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI) is currently using SmartArc in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers, including brain, head-and-neck, lung, liver and pancreas. Clinicians have found it to be useful for all treatment sites that benefit from IMRT.

"Like other clinicians, I want to deliver the highest possible dose of radiation to the tumor and spare the most normal tissue," said Vivek Mehta, M.D., director of the Center for Advanced Targeted Radiotherapies and a radiation oncologist at the SCI.  "It makes sense to me that we would use SmartArc VMAT in every patient that we would consider for IMRT. We tested this hypothesis on 50 consecutive patients and discovered that in 96 percent of the cases the VMAT plan was preferred over the conventional IMRT plan."

"Radiation oncology teams need technology that quickly provides reliable data in a digestible format to facilitate therapy decisions," said Jay Mazelsky, general manager, CT & Nuclear Medicine, for Philips Healthcare. "From offering centralized radiation therapy planning to remote access to complex therapy plans, our goal is to provide products and services that are intuitive and accessible, so clinicians can focus their attention on the care of the patient."

The Philips Healthcare radiation oncology suite will be on display at ASTRO in Exhibition Area Hall F, booth number 737 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of "sense and simplicity". Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 118,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of US 32.3 billion in 2009, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

SOURCE Philips Healthcare