Precision cancer therapy with Elekta Unity now available in the UK at The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research, London

LONDON, September 25, 2018 – Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) today announced that The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, have clinically implemented Elekta Unity, a transformative magnetic resonance radiation therapy (MR/RT) system that ushers radiotherapy into the age of personalized, precision medicine. Elekta Unity is the first system to combine high-field (1.5 Tesla) MR imaging, precision radiation therapy and intelligent software, and is capable of MR/RT, a personalized precision cancer therapy. Elekta Unity received its CE mark in June 2018, and is being clinically implemented in leading cancer centers throughout Europe.

“As founding members of the Elekta MR-linac consortium, the ICR and The Royal Marsden have made substantive contributions to the development of Elekta Unity and we are pleased that our efforts are now benefiting our patients,” said Professor Uwe Oelfke, Head of the Joint Department of Physics at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. “It’s hugely exciting to be able to trial this technology here at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. Together we’ve made world-leading advances in radiotherapy through our research and we expect Elekta Unity to allow us to make another step change in improving cancer treatment. This trial is for prostate cancer but we anticipate Elekta Unity will help us improve radiotherapy for a wide range of cancers, including hard-to-treat forms such as lung and pancreatic cancer.”

The Royal Marsden and the ICR recently started treating its first patient using Elekta Unity. The patient had a localized prostate cancer and started hormone treatment in May 2018. His PSA indicated he was ready to start radiotherapy and was offered treatment on Elekta Unity.

“Tumor shape and position relative to healthy tissue evolves over the course of treatment and can change during an individual treatment session. The ability to detect those changes and adapt therapy in real time allows us to improve the precision of radiation therapy, more effectively treating the tumor while preserving healthy tissue,” said Alison Tree, MD, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden and Team Leader in Uro-oncology Clinical Trials at the ICR. “Elekta Unity will also allow us to offer radiation therapy to patients who would not be candidates for this approach using more traditional radiation delivery systems. Elekta Unity will help us achieve optimum outcomes for our patients.”

“The clinical implementation of Elekta Unity by The Royal Marsden and the ICR team, just three months after the system received CE mark, is another example of the power of our consortium-based approach to the development of this transformative technology,” said Richard Hausmann, Elekta President and CEO. “It is gratifying to see them implement our shared vision of improving patient outcomes.”

The Royal Marsden and the ICR are founding members of Elekta’s MR-linac Consortium, a collaborative industrial-academic partnership that Elekta founded with seven centers and our technology partner, Philips, in 2012 to provide an evidence-based introduction of the MR-linac to the medical community, and to support the advancement of the technology.

To learn more, visit elekta.com/Unity.

Elekta Unity is pending 510(k) pre-market clearance and not available for commercial distribution or sale in the U.S. 

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For further information, please contact:
Oskar Bosson, Global EVP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
Tel: +46 70 410 7180, e-mail: [email protected] 
Time zone: CET: Central European Time

Raven Canzeri, Global Public Relations Manager
Tel: +1 770 670 2524, e-mail: [email protected] 
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 3,700 people around the world. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Elekta is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm. www.elekta.com