Posts Tagged ‘Elekta’
SBRT
SRS technology has evolved significantly since it was first introduced in the 1950s to treat small brain tumors. The application of SRS to treat tumors in other regions of the body, known as Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), is becoming much more common as evidence grows regarding the effectiveness of SBRT in treating select lung, spine and liver tumors.
Elekta supports the application of SBRT in several ways. First, from a technology perspective, Elekta provides motion management features, imaging capabilities and workflow designed specifically for SBRT treatments. These technological advancements will be on display at the Elekta booth in San Diego during ASTRO 2010.
Another way that Elekta supports the application of SBRT is by sponsoring research consortia to help gather additional clinical evidence regarding the efficacy of SBRT treatments across a variety of pathologies.
One of these groups, the Elekta Lung Research Group (ELRG), consists of physicians and physicists worldwide who are actively collaborating to evaluate outcomes in early stage inoperable non-small cell lung cancer patients. These researchers have already gathered data for more than 400 patients treated with volumetric image-guided stereotactic lung radiotherapy using daily online VolumeView™. The clinical findings of this group are summarized in a whitepaper, titled “SBRT Lung Treatment” by Dr. Joel Goldwein.
By sponsoring groups like the ELRG, Elekta continues to stay on the cutting edge of research into SBRT in order to develop innovative technology to improve opportunities for successful treatment with SBRT.
View the White Paper – SBRT Lung Treatment PDF here
Mary Ellen Fahey, Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR®) at Montefiore Medical Center, was recently recognized as Elekta's Cancer Registrar of the Year
During the National Cancer Registrars Association’s (NCRA) 36th Annual Education Conference in Palm Springs, Elekta paid tribute our 2010 Registrar of the Year, Mary Ellen Fahey, Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR®) at Montefiore Medical Center (MMC) in Bronx, New York.
Recognized for 25 years of service to MMC, Fahey was nominated for her loyalty to the profession and dedication to cancer patient care. An analyst before completing a CTR management course at Lehman College, Fahey entered the cancer registry workforce in 2000. A teacher herself at Lehman College, Fahey now prepares future CTR’s for a career in cancer registry.
“The true embodiment of cancer registry excellence, Mary Ellen is an asset to the medical center and community,” says Linda Fisher, CTR, and Manager of Cancer Registry Services at Montefiore Medical Center. “Generous, sincere and ever so loyal to her colleagues – I’m sure there are many in our field who exemplify similar qualities as Mary Ellen – but none that can match the passion she brings to the profession.”
An honorable mention also was awarded to Carolyn Ingram, CTR, Manager of Cancer Registry Services for New-York Presbyterian, The University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell in New York City. To learn more about Elekta’s solutions for decision support, visit www.elekta.com/metriq
Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion – http://www.gammaknife.com
Watch the latest animation here
Gamma Knife Perfexion Treatment
- ESPN Zone Beer Bash
Sunday, July 26, 2009, ESPN Zone – Anaheim
Elekta, Impac and CMS hosted a Beer Bash at the ESPN Zone in Disney City, Anaheim to cap the first day of the AAPM show.
More than 600 customers and prospects as guests sampled the beers and played a host of sports and video games.
Full online video gallery coming soon.
Very few areas of medicine are changing faster than cancer care and Seattle physicians and researchers are leading the way.
A patient with pancreatic cancer at the Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI) recently became the first person in the United States to be treated with a new technology known as Volumetric intensity Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). VMAT cuts radiation treatment times by one-half to two-thirds through delivering a higher and more targeted dose to cancerous tumors, without compromising patient safety. To date, more than 10 patients have been treated with VMAT at the Swedish Cancer Institute. They have included patients with tumors of the brain, abdomen and pelvis.
“VMAT allows the delivery of higher radiation doses with greater precision. We will kill more cancer and patients will have fewer side effects,” said Vivek Mehta, M.D., director of SCI’s Center for Advanced Targeted Radiation Therapies.
Faster treatment times often mean improved comfort for patients, making it easier for them to remain still during the process. For the first VMAT patient, total treatment time was less than 10 minutes. More important, Dr. Mehta’s team was able to greatly reduce the radiation exposure to surrounding sensitive areas – including the spinal cord, left and right kidneys and the liver.
Dr. Mehta is the principal investigator on a VMAT clinical study that will last approximately six months and involve at least 20 separate patients. Part of the study’s purpose is to prove definitively that VMAT is both faster and safer than the existing treatment approach.
With VMAT, Swedish clinicians are able to treat more patients with complex cancers than they could in the past. That includes those who have had radiation therapy previously with limited success and patients with tumors adjacent to critical structures in the body. Also, the technology should benefit patients who find it difficult to lie completely still for the typical 30 or more minutes of treatment time.
Dr. Mehta estimates that 10 percent to 15 percent of people now treated at the Swedish Cancer Institute will be good candidates for VMAT.
Swedish clinicians are working closely with VMAT developer Elekta. “I believe we were chosen as the first North American site because Swedish has a proven track record of innovation in cancer care,” Dr. Mehta said. “Medical manufacturers often come to SCI’s Center for Advanced Targeted Radiotherapy with novel ideas and we select the technologies that have the greatest potential to improve treatment and save lives.”
What’s on the horizon?
Dr. Mehta believes the next innovation will be some form of adaptive radiotherapy. By borrowing software from other disciplines, clinicians may be able to see the results of the radiation therapy within 30 to 60 seconds and adapt their treatment plans instantly. Instead of viewing an image of the tumor in week one of treatment and not again for the typical six weeks, physicians could make near real-time corrections to both radiation targeting and dosage.
“We can cure about half of the patients we see, many of whom have very serious cancers. That is far better than a generation ago, but we need to keep improving outcomes for the other 50 percent,” said Dr. Mehta. “As the largest and most comprehensive cancer treatment program in the Pacific Northwest, that is our sole mission.”
follow Swedish Cancer Institute on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Swedish
follow Elekta on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ElektaAB
Elekta has entered a cooperative agreement with SEK, the Swedish Export Credit Corporation. The agreement entails customer financing and applies globally with the exception of North America, where Elekta already has an established partner for customer financing.
The cooperative agreement with SEK Customer Financing strengthens and expands Elekta’s opportunities for offering competitive solutions for customer financing. Within the framework of the agreement, SEK will offer care providers around the world financing in the form of installment credit and leasing of Elekta’s clinical systems.
Elekta will be able to offer customers financing with limited impact on its own balance sheet.
“Since the credit crisis began, we have seen increased demand for alternative financing solutions. I am therefore delighted that we are now able to offer our customers a broad range of attractive solutions in this area,” says Håkan Bergström, CFO at Elekta.
“We are pleased to be entrusted with assisting Elekta with its customer financing platform. This agreement is completely in line with our ambition to increase the competitiveness of Swedish export companies in the global market,” says Peter Yngwe, President of SEK.
For more information about the Gamma Knife, click the image below to learn more:
Leksell Gamma Knife Interactive Brochure
http://www.elekta.com/assets/gammaknife/perfexion/loader.html
– LOOK BACK At The Williams Walk and Run –
Atlanta-based Brain Tumor Foundation for Children, Inc., held its annual William’s Walk & Run, presented by Elekta, Saturday, November 1 at the Mansell Crossing Shopping Center in Alpharetta, Georgia. Established in memory of William Nichols, a child who lost his battle with a brain tumor at the age of one, this annual event celebrates the lives of those affected by pediatric brain tumors.
Click the image below to view some images from the Walk / Run | Original Press Release
2008 - Williams Walk and Run Gallery
For Information on the 2009 Williams Walk and Run click here
Relay for Life brings communities together in the fight against cancer.
- Video From http://www.allareourheroes.com –
Relay for Life is a unique celebration of cancer survivorship and remembrance of those who have been lost. Relays are overnight events where teams of volunteers camp out at a local high school, park or fairground and take turns walking around a track or path, keeping one member of their team on the track at all times.
The event begins with a Survivors Lap where cancer survivors take a victory lap around the track, and later in the evening a candlelight ceremony is held to honor cancer survivors and remember those who’ve been lost to the disease.
Nationwide, Relay for Life brings together more than 3.5 million people from all walks of life to raise money and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment. The funds raised at Relay events fund cancer research, advocacy efforts, early detection and prevention education, and patient services.
The All Are Our Heroes song project supports Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society with a message of faith, hope and encouragement. Add your voice to the effort! Click here to make a donation to Relay to Life.
- Largest Neurosurgical Center in Russia Acquires Elekta’s Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion February 6, 2012Russia’s first Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ system has found a home at the renowned N.N. Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute, just a five-minute car ride from Moscow’s Red Square. On June 2, 2011, a 59-year-old woman was the first Perfexion patient, receiving Gamma Knife® radiosurgery to treat tumor tissue that remained following open surgery. Now, eight mon […]
- Largest Neurosurgical Center in Russia Acquires Elekta’s Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion February 6, 2012N.N. Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute improves treatment of patients with multiple metastasesRead more... […]
- SRT January 31, 2012Würzburg10-11 December - 2012 […]
- Mosaiq® - Electronic Medical Records January 31, 2012Mannheim26-27 November - 2012 […]
- IMRT / VMAT January 31, 2012Mannheim22-23 November - 2012 […]
- IGRT January 31, 2012Amsterdam16-17 November - 2012 […]
- SBRT January 31, 2012Wake Forest, North Carolina18-19 October - 2012 […]
- IGRT January 31, 2012Amsterdam29-30 June - 2012 […]
- IMRT / VMAT January 31, 2012Mannheim21-22 June - 2012 […]
- Mosaiq® - Electronic Medical Records January 31, 2012Mannheim18-19 June - 2012 […]