ELEKTA WILL SUPPLY UC DAVIS CANCER CENTER RADIATION ONCOLOGY WITH THE
NEXT GENERATION RADIATION TREATMENT SYSTEM
Cancer treatment center reinforces radiation oncology department with
order of Elekta Synergy(TM) system designed for greater accuracy and
effectiveness in treating tumors
The University of California Davis Cancer Center, Radiation Oncology
(Sacramento, Calif. USA), recently ordered an Elekta Synergy(TM) system,
the world's first radiation treatment system with an integrated 3D
imaging system that will enable doctors to obtain cone beam CT images of
patients just before their treatment. This capability will allow
physicians to visualize tumors at the point of treatment to more
precisely target tumors with radiation beams. UC Davis's department of
radiation oncology will accept delivery of the Elekta Synergy(TM) in
2004.
UC Davis Cancer Center acquired Elekta Synergy(TM) to allow imaging of
patients in the treatment position, according to Srinivasan Vijayakumar,
M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology.
Elekta Synergy(TM) system's ability to image the patient in the
treatment position is considered one of the most significant
developments in the last five years toward target-based radiotherapy.
Elekta Synergy(TM), manufactured by Elekta, is the first traditional
medical linear accelerator-based system capable of performing Image-
Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), a new treatment approach that relies on
images of anatomy and disease to guide radiation delivery precisely to
the tumor while sparing healthy tissues.
Elekta is currently taking orders and installing Elekta Synergy(TM)
linear accelerators at leading cancer clinics both in the United States
and Europe.
A new approach to radiation therapy
To determine the precise location of tumors and normal surrounding
tissues, traditional radiotherapy calls for imaging studies to be done
several days before treatment.
"Doctors use these images to develop a treatment plan," Dr. Vijayakumar
says. "However, because tumors are likely to change shape or move in the
pre-treatment period, we have to use a 'margin of error' and treat a
zone around the tumor that is larger than the tumor itself. This
uncertainty about the tumor's exact position has always meant using
lower than desired radiation doses to avoid applying excessive doses to
surrounding normal tissues."
Elekta Synergy(TM) will enable UC Davis Cancer Center radiation
oncologists to obtain images just before treatment with the patient in
the exact position he or she will be treated in. This means not only
less chance for errors in tumor targeting and in patient positioning,
but also the ability to increase the dose to the tumor by virtue of more
certainty in the tumor's location. The goal is to improve the patient's
quality of life and the chances for long-term survival.
Elekta Synergy(TM) enhances advanced radiotherapy techniques
The immediacy and accuracy of Elekta Synergy(TM) will be especially
important for the new, highly targeted forms of radiotherapy, such as
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). Simply put, IMRT "paints"
radiation doses of varying intensity on a tumor target - with higher
doses at the tumor center and steeply falling doses closer to the
tumor's outer borders. This IMRT "dose distribution" is highly
customized to the tumor's shape, resulting in the best possible balance
between cancer killing and the sparing of nearby normal tissues and
critical organs. The main challenge in IMRT, however, has been
uncertainty about the tumor's precise location.
"In IMRT, it is vital to place the dose correctly - there's no advantage
to IMRT if you can't precisely place the dose because you can't
visualize the target," Dr. Vijayakumar says.
The benefit of Elekta Synergy(TM) is that imaging the patient just
before treatment allows delivery of IMRT with much greater accuracy and
clinical confidence.
The Elekta Synergy(TM) system at UC Davis Cancer Center should be ready
for clinical use in August 2004. It will be used for treatment of
prostate, lung, head and neck and gynecological cancers. An order for an
Elekta Synergy(TM) S system - the stereotactic extracranial version of
Elekta Synergy(TM) - could come within the next 12-18 months.
UC Davis Radiation Oncology becomes Elekta Center of Distinction
The January 2004 Elekta Synergy(TM) system order follows UC Davis Cancer
Center's acquisition of Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife® C late last year.
Leksell Gamma Knife® is the gold-standard stereotactic radiosurgery
system for treatment of smaller intracranial lesions and abnormalities.
The two acquisitions have made UC Davis Radiation Oncology an Elekta
Center of Distinction - which describes an Elekta customer that is
uniquely positioned to showcase the complete line of Elekta products,
including Leksell Gamma Knife®, Precise Treatment System(TM) digital
accelerator, PrecisePLAN® treatment planning and Stereotactic Body
Frame®.
Elekta is honored to be part of UC Davis Cancer Center's plans for
taking radiation therapy to the next level. It is also gratifying that a
world-renowned cancer treatment center such as UC Davis Cancer Center
appreciates the proven track record of Leksell Gamma Knife® C and
recognizes the tremendous potential of Elekta Synergy(TM) to improve the
treatment of serious disease.
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Elekta is a world-leading supplier of advanced and innovative radiationoncology and neurosurgery solutions and services for precise treatmentof cancer and brain disorders. Elekta's solutions are clinicallyeffective, cost efficient and gentle to the patient.For additional information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.comAbout UC Davis Medical CenterThe UC Davis Cancer Center is part of the UC Davis Medical Center, oneof five University of California teaching hospitals. As the onlyNational Cancer Institute-designated cancer center between San Franciscoand Portland, Ore. UC Davis Cancer Center is an integral part of thehealth and well-being of Northern Californians.This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.netThe following files are available for download:http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/03/24/20040324BIT00590/wkr0001.dochttp://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/03/24/20040324BIT00590/wkr0002.pdf