ELEKTA EXTENDS ITS LINE OF STEREOTACTIC TREATMENT SOLUTIONS AT 2008 CONGRESS OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGEONS ANNUAL MEETING
Orlando, Florida, September 18, 2008
Elekta, a leading provider of technology for treating cancer and neurological conditions, today introduced Extend™*, a new stereotactic treatment program that lets neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists apply the proven power and precision of Gamma Knife® surgery to an even broader class of targets in the head and neck*.
For more than twenty years, Leksell Gamma Knife surgery has been the gold standard in intracranial radiosurgery. With its new re-locatable frame and support for fractionated treatments, the Extend program now provides the ability to treat large or critically located targets in the head and neck that were previously untreatable with Gamma Knife surgery. The result is an exciting crossover solution for neuro-oncology that combines Elekta’s recognized excellence in stereotaxy with its proven expertise in radiation medicine.
“When faced with lesions that are too large or too critically located to be safely treated in a single session, Extend enables clinicians to divide the radiation dose over multiple treatments,” says Mark Symons, Senior Vice President, Stereotactic Business Unit. “It also includes the most precise non-invasive fixation option available, allowing both neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists to treat more patients with greater confidence.”
Other Meeting Highlights
In addition to the U.S. launch of the Extend Program, Elekta also will demonstrate its line of neurosurgery solutions capable of handling the most difficult cases, but flexible enough to support a comprehensive program:
• Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ a special device finely adapted to the task of intracranial radiosurgery.
• Elekta Axesse™ a head-to-toe radiosurgery solution for neuro-oncology that effectively treats tumors while minimizing exposure to nearby healthy tissue.
• Leksell Stereotactic System® the world’s most widely used stereotactic product line.
• Elekta Neuromag® the world’s most advanced magnetoencephalography (MEG) system.
Symons concludes: "Professor Lars Leksell envisioned a gentler alternative to open surgery and ultimately defined the field of stereotactic radiosurgery. Today Elekta is still pushing the boundaries of science and technology to redefine excellence in stereotaxy, and thereby help to redefine the future of human care.”
*Extend™ requires 510(k) review and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.