ELEKTA AND IMPAC USERS DEMONSTRATE CLINICAL ADVANCEMENTS AT ASTRO – NEW INTEGRATED WORKFLOW ENVIRONMENT FOR IGRT INTRODUCED

As the only vendor able to deliver high-resolution three-dimensional volumetric imaging on a linear accelerator (cone-beam computerized tomography, CBCT), much interest at ASTRO focused on the clinical advancements facilitated by Elekta IGRT technology and VolumeView™ on the Elekta Synergy® system.Already in the previous decade, Elekta initiated this research which has facilitated clinical use of IGRT technology for several years. One result of this is that a vast majority of scientific presentations on image guided and stereotactic applications are authored by Elekta customers. At the ASTRO meeting, a total of 31 presentations were held by Elekta users and several more were presented at the joint IMPAC and Elekta user meeting on October 15, when more than 1,100 IMPAC and Elekta users convened at the Pepsi Center, home of the Colorado Avalanche.Elekta’s diseased-focused solutions in clinical useInga Grills M.D., from William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI, presented recent advancements in breast cancer treatment using 4D Adaptive™ IGRT from Elekta. New techniques and innovative technologies are being applied to breast cancer treatment, and William Beaumont Hospital is one of the US leading institutions advancing the treatment of breast cancer with radiation. Dr. Grill’s session demonstrated how to avoid long-term cardiac damage and gave an overview of the latest clinical experiences and outcomes of IGRT for breast cancer. Robert Timmerman, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX provided insight in Image Guided Treatment Management™ of lung cancer. One of the most exciting advancements in radiotherapy is the ability to treat lung cancer patients with unprecedented accuracy, thereby giving patients options they have never had before. Dr. Timmerman’s session featured a report on the progress of current research initiatives, the challenges in treating lung cancer, and the clinical experience in applying stereotactic principles to lung. Curtis Miyamoto, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Temple University Comprehensive Center, Philadelphia, PA, presented research on clinical applications for management of metastases. The session demonstrated the value of dedicated, disease-specific solutions – stereotactic radiation therapy and Gamma Knife® surgery – and how to adapt the best radiation treatment method for the unique challenges of treating metastases in the spine and brain. A first look at SYNERGISTIQ™At the joint user meeting, Joseph K. Jachinowski, co-founder of IMPAC and since September this year Executive Vice President Product Creation of Elekta, gave the clinicians a first look at SYNERGISTIQ™, a powerful new integrated radiotherapy workspace. (SYNERGISTIQ™ is a concept product and not yet available for sale or distribution in the U.S.) Today, radiation oncologists often have to cope with a complex work environment, with multiple computers, monitors, keyboards and mice. Representing a much appreciated departure from the “adding on another workstation” path that is prevailing among most radiation therapy providers, the SYNERGISTIQ™ workspace will integrate Elekta Synergy® and IMPAC MOSAIQ® image-enabled electronical medical record (EMR) to demonstrate a more streamlined image guided treatment delivery solution – one display, one keyboard, one point of control. This concept eliminates the complexity of using multiple keyboards and searching across multiple monitors.Instead, SYNERGISTIQ™ aims to provide a simpler and unified workspace, reducing complexity and enhancing efficiency and patient throughput.SYNERGISTIQ™ is the result of a swift product creation effort of the Elekta and IMPAC R&D teams. “I am very, very pleased with the joint progress that we have made since teaming up with IMPAC in April, this year”, said Tomas Puusepp, President and CEO of the Elekta Group. “We are starting to see a power shift, particularly in the U.S. radiation oncology market. Already we have seen a large number of bundled orders for Elekta treatment technology and IMPAC information management systems. Now we also can begin to show the results in the area of product creation, with SYNERGISTIQ™ serving as the first example of the power created by bringing together two strong R&D teams”, Tomas Puusepp concluded.******