U.K. Center Combines Elekta's Agility Beam-shaping Solution with Fast VMAT Delivery to Significantly Cut Cancer Patients' Radiotherapy Treatment Time

MIDDLESBROUGH, England, Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than three months after beginning clinical use of their Elekta Agility™* 160-leaf multi-leaf collimator (MLC), physicians at The James Cook University Hospital have achieved another benchmark – their first use of Agility to deliver radiation therapy employing Elekta's Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). The ability to accelerate both beam shaping and beam delivery with Agility and VMAT cut 57 seconds off the beam delivery time of the first patient, a 61-year-old male with prostate cancer. 

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120910/CL70314 )

Using twice the number of leaves typical of many standard MLC's, Agility precisely sculpts delivered radiation to the distinctive contours of the tumor, while reducing the risk of exposure to healthy normal tissues. Agility also includes ultra-fast leaf movements – twice as fast as other MLCs commonly used in the industry.

Agility complements rapid beam delivery techniques, such as VMAT, in which single or multiple radiation beams sweep in one or more uninterrupted arcs around the patient, reducing treatment times significantly.

On August 8, the Middlesbrough patient received his first treatment fraction, a single 200-degree VMAT arc, which took just 83 seconds to deliver. In comparison, a three-field 3D conformal treatment would have taken 140 seconds (2:20 min.) to deliver, demonstrating a 40.7 percent reduction in beam delivery time with Agility / VMAT. When factoring in image guidance, the total treatment time-savings with Agility / VMAT was 72 seconds (1:12 min.).

"This was our first experience with VMAT and it went very well," says Christopher Walker, Head of Radiotherapy Physics at The James Cook University Hospital. "The treatment speed not only reduces the likelihood that the patient will move and that the internal organs will shift position, but it also contributes to faster patient throughput, which is key. With Agility / VMAT we expect to be able to treat five patients per hour."

Importantly, a new version of Monaco® (v 3.20) was used to plan the first Agility / VMAT case.

"We used PIVOTAL trial dose constraints, achieving good coverage of the target and optimal sparing of the rectum and bladder," Mr. Walker observes. "It was a significant improvement over our previous 3D conformal planning."

The image guidance technology on their Elekta Synergy® treatment system also was critical for ensuring accuracy, he adds.

"We wouldn't have done the treatment without the cone beam CT on the Synergy system," he says. "Through image guidance we identified movement of the target volume before treatment delivery on the first day which resulted in us replanning the patient before subsequent treatments."

With the successful launch of Agility / VMAT at The James Cook University Hospital, clinicians here have begun treating a second prostate patient and a third is on the schedule.

"We're now open for business as far as prostate VMAT is concerned," Mr. Walker says. "Looking ahead, we will be expanding out to other sites in the body over the next few months."

Read 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, Investor Relations Manager, 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 3,300 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