Radiotherapy
A Technologically Advanced Tool for Difficult-to-Treat Cancers
By Akanksha, Pharmacology Correspondent
Feb 28, 2005, 21:08

Cancer recently surpassed heart disease as the top killer of Americans under 85, according to the American Cancer Society. Lung cancer, as well as cancers along the spine, have always been the most difficult sites to treat due to respiratory motion and the proximity of critical organs. With FDA 510(k) clearance of the Elekta Beam Modulator(TM), clinicians can offer patients new hope through more accurate treatments that spare more of the surrounding healthy tissue.

The Elekta Beam Modulator(TM) is a precision multi-leaf collimator designed for use with Elekta's medical linear accelerators. It shapes the radiation beam to more closely conform to the exact shape of the tumor, thereby allowing greater accuracy and smaller treatment fields. This makes Elekta technology ideal for targeting typically difficult-to-treat cancers of the lung and spine, as well as other sites in the body.

This advance in treatment precision demonstrates Elekta's superior technology and commitment to developing treatment enhancements that improve the efficacy and outcomes of cancer treatment. "Elekta's solutions give clinicians the most technologically advanced tools available to aggressively battle cancer," said Anthony De Carolis, President and CEO of Elekta, Inc. "Elekta remains at the forefront of technology, business solutions and treatment solutions. Our commitment to R&D and expanding our solutions will continue to fuel Elekta's growth, as well as the growth of centers using our technologies."

Temple University Health System, in Philadelphia, PA, is building a radiation oncology department from the ground up in the $77 million Ambulatory Care Center currently under construction. "To equip this facility we wanted to acquire the most cutting-edge technology available. We looked exhaustively at existing options and decided that Elekta offers that technology," stated Curtis Miyamoto, M.D., Department Chair of Radiation Oncology, Temple University Health System (Philadelphia, PA, USA).

Elekta was the first manufacturer to start research on image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) in the mid-1990s, the first to have IGRT systems in clinical use, and the first to bring these solutions to market with Elekta Synergy(R). Elekta Synergy(R) systems, and now the Elekta Beam Modulator(TM), remain the most advanced weapons in the fight against cancer, with an imaging system integrated into the radiation treatment platform.

This technology enables physicians to obtain images of patients at the point of treatment, allowing them to visualize tumors at the time of treatment and to precisely target tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue.

With Elekta Beam Modulator(TM), clinicians can obtain fine resolution beam shaping for challenging indications throughout the body, where treatment objectives typically include decreasing the number of treatment sessions, limiting the volume of normal tissue exposed to radiation, and increasing dose.

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