The only way to push the boundaries is to move beyond them.
The largest scientific meeting and trade show in the radiation therapy discipline came to a close on Tuesday, October 20. If you weren't able to attend the 57th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), here are the top five highlights from Elekta:
Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™
1. Debut of Leksell Gamma Knife® Icon™
The big news leading into ASTRO was that seven US sites have placed orders for Elekta's most advanced Leksell Gamma Knife. Demonstrations were booked for this advanced radiosurgery technology. Hear some of the reactions.
Versa HD™ and Monaco®
2. Showcase of Versa HD™ and Monaco®
Elekta showcased a powerful combination that delivers a unique combination of unrivaled dose delivery and intelligent dose planning. With ultra-low transmission of Agility™ and Monaco’s Monte Carlo accuracy, dose delivery to the target can be precisely controlled while ensuring surrounding anatomy is protected.
Brachytherapy APBI
3. Spotlight on Brachytherapy APBI
Groundbreaking Level 1 trial data was presented on the delivery of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with brachytherapy. The method is a precise, targeted approach to treat patients with early breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery, allowing radiation to be delivered directly to the target area, while sparing surrounding tissues and structures. View more about this and related APBI research.
Software advancements
4. Buzz around Software Advancements
- Elekta demonstrated automated tools, such as Autosegmentation and Multi-Criterial Optimization. By having capabilities such as auto-segmentation, dose optimization and even auto-planning, healthcare professionals have more time to focus on the critical aspects of care.
- Elekta’s Healthcare Analytics was shown to provide a variety of data measurement features, from monitoring patient wait times to tracking which physicians send referrals and keeping an eye on resource use. With the emphasis shifting to value-based care, reporting tools like these will play a big role in monitoring facility performance and implementing new measures to improve the patient experience.
- Great discussions were held around the Elekta Knowledge Management suite of cloud-based clinical and business applications to support data management, reporting, visualization and analysis. Elekta’s goal is to help customers harness enterprise-wide data to increase profitability, improve quality, increase patient throughput, manage resource utilization, standardize care and improve patient satisfaction.
Elekta Care™
5. Dedication to Customers with Elekta Care™
Elekta not only supports its solutions from implementation and through their life cycle, it also makes sure customers make the most of their Elekta systems through Education & Training offerings. The 2016 Education & Training catalog is now available, featuring a myriad of learning opportunities for customers. In addition, with thousands of customer users, SupportPlus, Elekta’s online customer support portal, provides customers with access to training documentation, system requirements and training videos, and enables customers to log support tickets.
Spotlight
At Elekta's annual charity bash, USD $28,000 was raised for Texas WINGS (Women Involved in Nurturing, Giving, Sharing), an organization that provides comprehensive breast cancer treatment and follow up care at no cost to the patient.