AMSTERDAM, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Elekta (EKTA-B.ST), Royal Philips
(NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHIA) and The Netherlands Cancer Institute, (NKI,
Amsterdam, The Netherlands) today
announced the installation of a high-field (1.5 Tesla) MR-guided
linear accelerator (MR-linac) system. The Elekta MR-linac is
designed to capture high-quality images of tumors and surrounding
tissue, allowing physicians to rapidly assess and respond by
modifying the radiation treatment, a responsive intervention
approach.
The Netherlands Cancer Institute is a member of the Elekta
MR-linac Consortium, founded in 2012 by Elekta and technology
partner Royal Philips. The
consortium partners are committed to demonstrating that the use of
the MR-linac will enable them to elevate the standard of care for
the most prominent cancers that account for more than half of
cancer mortality worldwide as well as less prevalent cancers that
are currently not well controlled.
Elekta's MR-linac integrates a state-of-the-art radiotherapy
system and a high-field MRI scanner with sophisticated software
that allows a physician to clearly see the patient's anatomy in
real time. The MR-linac is designed to improve targeting of tumor
tissue while reducing exposure of normal tissue to radiation beams.
It will allow physicians to precisely locate a tumor, as well as
lock onto it during delivery, even when tumor tissue is moving
during treatment or changes shape, location or size between
treatment sessions.
"MR-linac is an obvious evolution in radiation therapy that has
the potential to significantly improve the way we treat cancer,"
says Professor Uulke van der Heide, PhD, medical physicist and
group leader, Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands
Cancer Institute. "The ability to actually see that we are
delivering the correct radiation dose to the intended target has
the potential to reduce side effects and improve quality of life,
allow for escalated dose delivery and ultimately increase our
ability to control tumors. My colleagues and I are proud to be part
of this visionary global research initiative and believe that
together we have the potential to harness the technology that will
allow us to reduce the global burden of cancer."
The NKI is the third site to install the MR-linac system, which
is already under functional evaluation at University Medical Center
Utrecht, the Netherlands and The
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center, Houston, Texas, USA. By
year end 2016, all seven leading cancer centers participating in
the consortium will have installed the Elekta MR-linac. Consortium
members are currently engaged in various stages of evaluation of
the technology and are collaborating to establish new clinical
protocols and develop methods for data collection and analysis.
"Our long-term relationship with The NKI has yielded important
innovations that have helped advance the safety and efficacy of
radiotherapy. The institute's role in developing cone beam CT
imaging technology improved care and outcomes for patients around
the globe and we anticipate that The NKI will play a similarly
essential role in realizing the potential of high-field MR-linac,"
says Tomas Puusepp, President and
CEO of Elekta. "Elekta has a long heritage of strategic
collaborations with leading cancer researchers and practitioners
and we rely on these relationships to help validate our
technologies and to enable us to continually improve upon them."
"The clinical effectiveness of radiation treatment depends
highly on the quality and accuracy of radiotherapy guidance and
delivery," said Rob Cascella, CEO
Imaging Businesses at Philips. "In securing that quality and
accuracy, MR imaging is emerging as a promising oncology tool for
disease localization and quantification, therapy planning,
treatment guidance, and therapy assessment. Through the
collaboration with Elekta and the consortium partners such as The
NKI, I am convinced that we have the prerequisites to make
MR-guided radiotherapy a meaningful success for both patients and
care providers."
Elekta's MR-linac is a work in progress and not
available for sale or distribution.
The above information is such that Elekta AB (publ) shall make
public in accordance with the Securities Market Act and/or the
Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was published at
07:30 CET on April 18, 2016.
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: http://www.elekta.com.
About Royal
Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX:
PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving
people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health
continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis,
treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and
deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated
solutions. The company is a leader in diagnostic imaging,
image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as
well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' wholly owned
subsidiary Philips Lighting is the global leader in lighting
products, systems and services. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2015 sales of
EUR 24.2 billion and employs
approximately 104,000 employees with sales and services in more
than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at
http://www.philips.com/newscenter.
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
Tobias Bülow, Director Financial Communication, Elekta AB
Tel: +46-722-215-017, e-mail: tobias.bulow@elekta.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time
Steve Klink, Philips Group
Communications
Tel: +31-6-10888824, e-mail: steve.klink@philips.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time
SOURCE Elekta