University Medical Centre Utrecht treats first cancer patient with Elekta Unity
UTRECHT, The Netherlands, May 24, 2017 – On May 19, the University Medical Centre (UMC) Utrecht treated the first patient as part of a clinical study with Elekta Unity, a magnetic resonance radiation therapy (MR/RT) system capable of delivering precisely targeted radiation doses and capturing magnetic resonance (MR) images of diagnostic quality. It is the first time a patient has been treated on a state-of-the-art linear accelerator with a high-field MR imaging system.
The study, taking place at UMC Utrecht, aims to confirm the pre-clinically demonstrated technical accuracy and safety of Elekta Unity in the clinical setting. In the ongoing study, a total of five patients with spinal metastases will be treated with Elekta Unity under a strict protocol, and will receive radiation treatment guided by MR imaging. Analysis of the first clinically derived data shows that visibility of the treatment target and radiation beam accuracy is excellent as expected.
“Image guided adaptive radiotherapy has become the standard of care to optimize the accuracy and precision of radiation delivery,” said Dr. Ina Jürgenliemk-Schulz, radiation oncologist at UMC Utrecht and principal investigator of the study. “Better visualization of the tumor targets and the surrounding healthy tissues at the exact moment of treatment, makes it possible to adapt the radiation dose to the actual tumor anatomy and optimally spare normal tissue during treatment. MR/RT with Elekta Unity will drive the paradigm shift from conventional highly fractionated treatments towards more ablative approaches, with smaller fields and fewer treatment fractions.”
UMC Utrecht is the founding member of Elekta’s MR-linac Consortium, a global collaboration of institutions focused on uniting leaders in radiation oncology, MR-imaging, physics and radiotherapists. The mission of the Consortium is to investigate how MR-linac technology can lead to improved patient outcomes for existing radiation therapy indications and extend radiation therapy for additional indications.
“Elekta Unity represents a significant scientific and engineering achievement, and the first treatment is a substantial milestone in the field of radiation therapy,” said Kevin Brown, Vice President Research and Innovation at Elekta. “This transformative MR/RT technology has the potential to change how cancer is treated and significantly improve patient outcomes. We are eager to advance this study in order to learn more about the real world clinical implications of the world’s only high-field MR-linac system.”
Elekta Unity is the only MR/RT system that integrates a premium quality (1.5 Tesla) MR scanner, from MR technology partner Philips, with an advanced linear accelerator and intelligently designed software. To learn more, visit www.elekta.com/Unity.
Elekta Unity is a work in progress and not available for sale or distribution.
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For further information, please contact:
Gert van Santen, Group Vice President Corporate Communications, Elekta AB
Tel: +31 653 561 242, e-mail: gert.vansanten@elekta.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time
Raven Canzeri, Global Public Relations Manager
Tel: +1 770 670 2524, e-mail: raven.canzeri@elekta.com
Time zone: EST: Eastern Standard Time
About Elekta
Elekta is proud to be the leading innovator of equipment and software used to improve, prolong and save the lives of people with cancer and brain disorders. Our advanced, effective solutions are created in collaboration with customers, and more than 6,000 hospitals worldwide rely on Elekta technology. Our treatment solutions and oncology informatics portfolios are designed to enhance the delivery of radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, and to drive cost efficiency in clinical workflows. Elekta employs 3,600 people around the world. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Elekta is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm. www.elekta.com