More cancer patients in Africa to benefit from advanced radiation therapy with Elekta Unity MR-Linac
STOCKHOLM, November 25, 2021 – Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) announced today that its latest African order for Elekta Unity MR-Linac comes less than six months after the company introduced its ACCESS 2025 strategy, which includes giving more than 300 million people access to radiation therapy with the addition of 825 additional Elekta linacs in underserved markets.
In addition to the Unity system, the Eugene Gasana Jr. Foundation signed an agreement on behalf of the International Children’s Cancer Research Centre (ICCRC) to also acquire two Elekta Versa HD™ linear accelerators as well as Elekta Studio* including the ImagingRing, a brand-new mobile imaging device for brachytherapy treatments, and a Flexitron® afterloader.
As a member of the Elekta MR-Linac Consortium, ICCRC will actively investigate the potential benefits of magnetic resonance-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) in pediatric oncology. In addition, ICCRC will join hospitals around the world in providing high precision radiation therapy to treat cancer in children.
“We are very excited that Ghanaians will have access to the same cancer care as the best hospitals in the U.S., Europe or Asia,” said Habib Nehme, Executive Vice President Turkey, India, Middle East, Africa, APAC & Japan. “And while a focus on children’s’ health is especially appreciated; I know that having the tools to treat advanced-stage cervical cancer is welcome as rates for the indication are particularly high in Africa. We are also proud to collaborate with partners of the Eugene Gasana Jr. Foundation in providing comprehensive training for the hospital staff.”
Of the more than 24,000 new cancer cases recorded in Ghana each year1, approximately 1,200 are estimated to be children under the age of 152. Cervical and prostate cancers are the most common among women and men respectively and are regularly treated with brachytherapy. Versa HD is a system designed to treat a spectrum of tumors throughout the body using both conventional and highly sophisticated techniques. And Elekta Unity uses dynamic real-time adaptation to tailor treatment based on changes in the shape, size and position of the tumor and surrounding anatomy.
Construction of the new hospital will begin in the first quarter of 2022 calendar year, with deliveries at the end of 2023. The equipment is scheduled to be clinical during 2024.
*Elekta Studio is comprised of multiple medical devices, some of which may not yet be available in all markets. Confirm availability with your local Elekta representative.
1 Global Cancer Observatory
2 Beating childhood cancers through early detection and treatment
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For further information, please contact:
Mattias Thorsson, Vice President, Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: +46 70 865 8012, e-mail: Mattias.Thorsson@elekta.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time
Raven Canzeri, Global Director, Media Relations
Tel: +1 770-670-2524, e-mail: Raven.Canzeri@elekta.com
Time zone: ET: Eastern Time
About Elekta
As a leader in precision radiation therapy, Elekta is committed to ensuring every patient has access to the best cancer care possible. We openly collaborate with customers to advance sustainable, outcome-driven and cost-efficient solutions to meet evolving patient needs, improve lives and bring hope to everyone dealing with cancer. To us, it's personal, and our global team of 4,700 employees combine passion, science, and imagination to profoundly change cancer care. We don’t just build technology, we build hope. Elekta is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with offices in more than 120 countries and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more information, visit elekta.com or follow @Elekta on Twitter.