Danish Clinics Anticipate Benefits for Cancer Patients with Elekta’s Innovative Beam-shaping Solution for Radiotherapy

ODENSE and VEJLE, Denmark, Oct. 8, 2012 – Odense University Hospital (OUH) and Vejle Hospital will be the first Danish medical centers to use Elekta treatment systems with an integrated Agility™* 160-leaf multi-leaf collimator (MLC). Physicists at both clinics expect patients with cancer will benefit by virtue of the MLC’s exceptional beam-shaping capabilities, rapid leaf speed and extremely low leaf transmission.

Agility to improve stereotactic cases at OUH
OUH purchased two Elekta Axesse™ systems, one of which was installed on September 29, replacing one of OUH’s two Siemens linear accelerators. According to Knud Aage Werenberg, Head Physicist at OUH, Agility MLC’s narrow leaf width and higher leaf speed will improve stereotactic treatments in particular.

“The small fields we use in stereotactic treatment will benefit from the use of the smaller leaves, and, combined with high leaf speed, we will be able to reduce overall treatment time,” he says. “Reduced treatment time will also improve patient comfort and help reduce potential patient movement during stereotactic treatment.”

The Axesse systems will join six other Elekta treatment systems at OUH.

Vejle Hospital anticipates more precise treatments with Agility
Vejle Hospital, a radiotherapy center, will begin clinical use of an Elekta Infinity™ system equipped with Agility in the spring of 2013, according to Bjarke Lundegaard Mortensen, M.Sc., Head of Medical Physics at Vejle Hospital.

“We expect to achieve a more precise adaptation to the target, which means we can spare organs-at-risk to a higher extent,” Mortensen says.

The high leaf speed of Agility will complement fast delivery techniques, such as Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), and features such as Elekta’s Continuously Variable Dose Rate (CVDR).

“When you combine Agility with CVDR, dynamic deliveries including VMAT will be quicker to administer in practice,” he says. “That means uncertainty due to intrafractional organ movement is reduced.”

Vejle Hospital also plans to upgrade one of its three Elekta Synergy® systems to Agility in the near future, Mortensen adds.

The orders were booked during Elekta’s first quarter fiscal year 2012/13.

Learn more about Agility at www.elekta.com/agility.

*Agility is not available for sale or distribution in all markets. Please contact the local Elekta representative for details.

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For further information, please contact:
Johan Andersson Melbi, Director, Investor Relations, Elekta AB
Tel: +46 702 100 451, email: [email protected]
Time zone: CET: Central European Time

Michelle Joiner, Director, Global Public Relations and Brand Management, Elekta
Tel: +1 770-670-2447, email: [email protected]
Time zone: ET: Eastern Time

 
  
The above information is such that Elekta AB (publ) shall make public in accordance with the Securities Market Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was published at 07.30 CET on October 8, 2012.

About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 6,000 hospitals worldwide. Elekta employs around 3,400 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. Website: www.elekta.com.