First Leksell Gamma Knife in Colombia Brings Stereotactic Radiosurgery to those in need

Cali, Columbia, May 07, 2009

Imbanaco Medical Center (Cali, Colombia) has begun treating patients with a Leksell Gamma Knife 4, the first Leksell Gamma Knife in Colombia and the first new Leksell Gamma Knife in Latin America in 10 years. A young man with an acoustic neuroma and a 53-year-old woman with five brain metastases have been treated successfully and are leading fully functional lives.

Imbanaco Medical Center started its radiosurgery program in 2002 with a linear accelerator from another manufacturer. Bernardo Perez, M.D., neurosurgeon and Medical Director at Imbanaco Medical Center, says, “We were treating between 50 and 80 patients per year. An increasing number of patients led us to begin our search for a specialized treatment system, so the Center’s CEO, another neurosurgeon and myself contacted Elekta about the Leksell Gamma Knife. We now treat more than 20 patients a month, and our program is still growing.”

The Center’s busy pituitary practice refers a large number of patients with pituitary lesions to Dr. Perez, and they will now benefit from Gamma Knife surgery. In addition, the center will treat meningiomas, acoustic neuromas, arterial venous malformations and brain metastases with Gamma Knife surgery.

Dr. Perez says the Leksell Gamma Knife 4 is not only a huge benefit to Colombian patients, but is cost effective as well. “One might say that we shouldn’t be using this type of technology in a third-world country because we don’t have the resources for it. On the contrary: morbidity is much more expensive, and repeated treatments are much more expensive than single-session Gamma Knife surgery. Gamma Knife has a very good control rate with very low morbidity, so it’s the ideal machine for us. We need the technology that gives us the best results.”

The Center’s patients and the surrounding community are indeed reaping the benefits of these positive results. The woman who was treated for five brain metastases, for instance, is the head of a very large, active foundation that promotes breast cancer awareness. “She had breast cancer herself, and had five brain mets,” explains Dr. Perez. “She was treated with Gamma Knife surgery for the brain mets, and is coming back at the end of this month for follow-up. It was very exciting for us to have the opportunity to work with her and help her continue her work, which is so important.”
 
Gamma Knife surgery is the world-leading, non-invasive method for treating brain disorders with a single, high dose of irradiation. Gamma Knife surgery is preferred for its extreme accuracy, efficiency and outstanding therapeutic response, and the Leksell Gamma Knife 4 has been developed to meet the exacting demands of hospitals and clinics that have a smaller number of patients.

Media contact:
Michelle Lee
770-670-2447
michelle.lee@elekta.com
www.elekta.com

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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 and radiosurgery, 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, making the future possible today.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.

Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta click here.