Elekta surpasses one million patients treated with Leksell Gamma Knife

At the 18^th International Leksell Gamma Knife^® Society Meeting in Amsterdam, (May 15-19), Elekta announced that Leksell Gamma Knife, the most clinically-proven radiosurgery system available, has been used in the treatment of more than one million patients afflicted with brain tumors, vascular malformations and functional disorders.

Today, Gamma Knife surgery is performed on more than 75,000 patients every year in hundreds of leading hospitals and clinics around the world. The average clinical volume per treatment site has also steadily grown each year due to a proliferation of supporting clinical evidence and product enhancements that improve clinical efficiency.

“Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery has evolved from a truly disruptive technological innovation to a mainstay of modern radiation surgery and neurosurgery and it has become the most clinically proven and comprehensively studied stereotactic radiosurgery platform in history,” said Dr. Laurent Leksell, Elekta’s Founder and Chairman of the Board. “We are grateful to the dedication and innovation demonstrated by our global clinical partners and collaborators who have been instrumental in helping us continue to improve Gamma Knife technology to better address the needs of brain tumor patients and clinicians.”

Leksell Gamma Knife^® Icon™, the newest generation of the system, is currently being used to treat patients in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Icon expands on the proven capabilities of Gamma Knife, while providing additional frameless flexibility for either accurate single dose administration or fractionated multiple treatment sessions over time enabling treatment of larger tumor volumes, targets close to critical brain structures and new or recurring brain metastases. In the coming months, installations of Icon are planned at several leading centers including The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, Texas), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), University of Virginia Health System (Charlottesville, Virginia), The Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (Lausanne, Switzerland).

Metastatic brain tumors and other neurological disorders negatively impact survival and quality of life in a large and growing patient population. Worldwide, more than 256,000 new cases of brain and other CNS tumors are diagnosed annually, with an estimated 189,000 deaths.[i]

“Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a proven approach that has helped us resolve complex brain lesions, vascular complications and other neurological abnormalities, many of which were previously thought to be inoperable,” said Jean Regis, MD, neurosurgeon and Gamma Knife program director University Hospital La Timone who has performed more than 16,000 Gamma Knife procedures. “Over the past four decades, we’ve established a wide body of clinical evidence supporting Gamma Knife radiosurgery in the treatment of diverse brain and central nervous system pathologies, and in my experience, this is an attractive option for patients and clinicians, enabling a significant reduction in radiation exposure to healthy tissue and a negligible post-procedural convalescence period where the typical patient can usually leave the hospital within an hour.”

Douglas Kondziolka, MD, a researcher and neurosurgeon who has performed many thousands of Gamma Knife procedures, added “Gamma Knife radiosurgery is an excellent example of how evolving cancer care technologies are addressing growing demand for precision medicine, where treatments can be precisely tailored to an individual’s unique anatomy and biologic makeup while simultaneously helping to reduce the risk of damaging healthy tissue. As one of the most comprehensively studied tools in the neurosurgery armamentarium, we can confidently offer this treatment option as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional brain surgery or whole brain radiation therapy for properly selected patients.”

“Receiving a brain tumor diagnosis is nothing short of shocking, but I feel incredibly fortunate to have discovered an effective alternative to traditional open surgery,” said Josh Perry, 27-year-old pro BMX athlete who underwent an open craniotomy for a meningioma and then received Gamma Knife to treat a recurrence several years later. “In contrast to my first procedure, which took six hours and required a two month recovery, I was up and talking minutes after receiving Gamma Knife and back on my bike within a week.”

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a non-invasive alternative to traditional brain surgery and radiation therapy for the treatment of complex, difficult to treat brain conditions. Using up to 192 precisely focused sources of radiation, Gamma Knife controls malignant and nonmalignant tumors, as well as arteriovenous malformations, essential tremor and trigeminal neuralgia while limiting damage to healthy tissue. The extremely high precision of Gamma Knife surgery is achieved using a three-dimensional coordinate system to locate and treat small targets inside the head. This is called stereotactic radiosurgery and, together with Leksell Gamma Knife, was invented by the late Professor Lars Leksell.

People diagnosed with brain tumors, vascular malformations and functional disorders and their families can learn more about treatment options at gammaknife.com. The interactive and educational resource features first-hand patient and physician experiences with Gamma Knife, and provides information to support educated decision making about treatment options.

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For further information, please contact:
Gert van Santen, Group Vice President Corporate Communications, Elekta AB
Tel: +31 653 561 242, Email: gert.vansanten@elekta.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time
 
Raven Canzeri, Global Public Relations Manager
Tel: +1 770 670 2524, Email: raven.canzeri@elekta.com
Time zone: EST: Eastern Standard Time
 
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 health care 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 3,800 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm. Website: www.elekta.com Twitter: @Elekta.