World's 500th Leksell Gamma Knife Radiosurgery System Begins Patient Treatments in Brazil

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• Brazil - Português

CURITIBA, Brazil, Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The 500^th Leksell Gamma Knife® system manufactured since 1986 was recently installed at Instituto de Neurologia de Curitiba (INC, Curitiba, Brazil). INC – which acquired Elekta's latest generation Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ – began clinical treatments on October 1, 2012, delivering radiosurgery to a patient with a skull base meningioma. Installed in 48 countries, over 300 Gamma Knife systems are currently in clinical use, with more than 700,000 patients treated worldwide.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a gentler alternative to traditional brain surgery for illnesses such as metastatic disease, which is cancer that has travelled to the brain from elsewhere in the body. With pinpoint accuracy, the system delivers up to thousands of low-intensity radiation beams to one or more targets in a single session. Perfexion provides even greater speed and ease of use than previous models.

Founded just seven years ago, INC has become a major neurological and neurosurgical referral center in Brazil, its 10 neurosurgeons currently performing about 1,000 procedures annually. INC neurosurgeons, along with eight neurologists and two neuropediatricians treat more than 7,000 patients each year. INC is the only Latin American facility accredited by the World Federation of Neurological Societies as a Post-Graduate Training Center.

"INC has tried to offer its patients the best treatment available for complex neurological and neurosurgical cases," says INC neurosurgeon, Daniel Benzecry Almeida, M.D. "Accordingly, radiosurgery is an important tool in our treatment armamentarium. Gamma Knife technology has been the gold standard treatment for many benign and malignant tumors, in addition to other neurological indications. That was why we chose Leksell Gamma Knife over other radiosurgical alternatives."

INC has treated patients for a variety of classic Gamma Knife indications, including meningiomas, metastases, trigeminal neuralgia and arteriovenous malformations.

"Radiosurgery with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion has proven to be a very accurate, safe and easy method of radiosurgical treatment," Dr. Benzecry Almeida says. "It has been particularly useful in treating patients with multiple metastases in a single session."

As the only Perfexion installation in Brazil, a nation of more than 190 million inhabitants, INC has received many email requests to schedule a consultation for treatment. In his desire for INC to also become a reference center for radiosurgery, Dr. Benzecry Almeida welcomes the attention.

"It's very important to offer our people the best treatment in brain radiosurgery," he says. "The use of Gamma Knife technology continues to spread globally, and it really should be available in most countries. Being the first center in Brazil with a Perfexion system makes us very proud, yet also places upon us a commitment to help patients who could benefit from radiosurgery. We're looking forward to INC becoming a reference center in radiosurgery as it now is in neurosurgery."

Installation of INC's Gamma Knife system reflects Elekta's growing influence and focus in Latin America. To support the region's growing cancer management requirements, Elekta recently relocated its office to Sao Paulo and acquired Radon Ltda., the leading linear accelerator service company in Brazil.

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