BELGIAN CANCER PATIENTS TO RECEIVE STATE-OF-THE-ART RADIATION THERAPY TREATMENTS WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY FROM ELEKTA

CHU Liège Radiation Therapy runs the largest radiation oncology center network in Belgium with 2,600 patients treated annually. The department is lead by Professor Philippe A. Coucke who has launched an ambitious strategy to upgrade the capability of the network to perform radiation therapy with the latest techniques. The ambition is to bring CHU Liège to a leading role among European cancer centers, both clinically and in scientific research.

Today equipped with 5 radiation therapy systems from other vendors, CHU Liège has as a first step selected Elekta Synergy® S to expand and improve treatment capacity with advanced treatment technology, capable of supplying high doses of radiation while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

Elekta Synergy S is an image-guided robotic digital linear accelerator that combines integrated 3D imaging abilities with powerful high-resolution radiation delivery. At CHU Liège, Elekta Synergy S will enable specialists to perform both stereotactic radiotherapy and radiosurgery throughout the body. Essentially, Elekta Synergy S provides the two most important ingredients for improved patient outcomes: 2D and ultra low dose 3D image-guided accuracy and highly conformal beam shaping. This enables the radiation oncology staff to use extremely precise and accurate techniques on small tumors close to critical structures, while at the same time being flexible enough to handle a large majority of the cases presented in a radiation therapy department.

In parallel, Elekta is now upgrading the information management system at CHU Liège to MOSAIQ™, the new image-enabled electronical medical records (EMR) system from Elekta. MOSAIQ is specifically adapted for oncology with fully integrated department management features such as scheduling, management reports, analysis, image storage and retrieval.

“Elekta Synergy S will definitely help us to better serve cancer patients in the Liège area. Its 3D Volumetric X-ray imaging capability and high resolution beam shaping will be of great advantage, specifically for patients with tumors close to critical organs”, says Professor Philippe A. Coucke, head of the Radiation Therapy Department at CHU Liège. “We are also excited about installing MOSAIQ, connecting treatment equipment from several different vendors into one network, allowing all clinical staff to have the full patient record easily available at all time. What this boils down to is that doctors and nurses can spend less time with administration and more time with patients. A clear gain in patient quality”, ends Professor Philippe A. Coucke.

“We are very pleased to partner with CHU Liège in the effort to improve cancer care. With our proven treatment technology and comprehensive information management systems, we are confident that Elekta will contribute to better and more efficient treatment for cancer patients in the Liège region”, comments Jos Verzelen, Managing Director of Elekta Belgium.

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