ELEKTA INITIATIVES WILL INCREASE ACCESS TO GAMMA KNIFE® SURGERY, THE GOLD STANDARD IN RADIOSURGERY

To ensure that all hospitals, regardless of size, are able to offer the highest possible quality of care to their patients, Elekta introduces Leksell Gamma Knife 4 at AANS. This addition to the Gamma Knife family offers the same accuracy and clinical effectiveness as other Gamma Knife products, but is cost-effective in lower volume settings.

Elekta introduced the revolutionary Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ in 2006, and continues to offer Leksell Gamma Knife 4C. Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion is a technological leap forward, providing faster planning and treatment times and improved safety for patients and staff, while maintaining the precision and efficacy associated with Gamma Knife surgery.

"Having solutions for hospitals of any size, from large teaching institutions that want to establish a radiosurgical center of excellence with Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion, to small community hospitals that are committed to offering their patients the proven effectiveness of Gamma Knife surgery, ensures patients with brain disorders can easily access the radiosurgical treatment of choice," said Anthony DeCarolis, President and CEO of Elekta, Inc.

Greater availability to Gamma Knife surgery is critical as cancer patients live longer and also have need for additional treatment of metastases. According to the American Cancer Society, between 20 and 40 percent of all cancer patients develop metastatic tumors in the brain. Leksell Gamma Knife is the only stereotactic radiosurgery system specifically approved by the FDA for treating metastatic brain tumors, and more than 120,000 patients worldwide have been treated for brain metastases.

"Gamma Knife has changed the paradigm for treatment of brain metastasis patients," said Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD, from the Department of Neurological Surgery at University of Virginia. "Gamma Knife surgery has dramatically expanded the neurosurgical armamentarium. Patients with brain metastases are living longer and fuller lives as a result of Gamma Knife surgery."

Elekta has also taken steps to ensure hospitals can afford to add Gamma Knife surgery to their services by creating a flexible financial solution. Aegis Radiosurgery Partners facilitates the acquisition of Leksell Gamma Knife and other major capital equipment in radiosurgery by structuring joint ventures and making the technology available to physicians, hospitals and patients. In addition, Aegis has a broad knowledge of the marketplace, providing expert advice in instituting programs to build strong relationships with referring physicians.

Gamma Knife surgery has become the world's most widely used radiosurgery treatment for brain disorders due to its extraordinary accuracy, reduction of excess radiation dose to the body and extensive history and clinical documentation. Unlike some systems which are used for the whole body, Leksell Gamma Knife is specifically designed to optimize treatment to the head.


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