TUSTIN, Calif., June 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyline Radiation
Oncology's acquisition of Elekta's Clarity® soft tissue
visualization system is enabling physicians to continuously track
the motion of the prostate during the delivery of radiation
therapy. With continuous intrafractional image guidance, Skyline is
able to significantly reduce radiation treatment margins around the
prostate and support the launch of a high-dose, highly targeted
stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) program for prostate
cancer.
"The prostate can vary in position – not only day-to-day but
also moment-to-moment – in part due to variable filling and
emptying of the nearby bladder and rectum," says Paul J. Kim, MD, Skyline's Director of Radiation
Oncology. "With Clarity, our certainty about the prostate's
position is higher, as it gives us a way to track prostate motion
using an advanced, non-invasive 4D ultrasound technology while the
beam is being delivered."
Complete prostate cancer therapy in one week
In December 2013, Skyline began
using Clarity in combination with its Varian TrueBeam™ radiation
therapy system for its prostate cancer patients. Patients can now
benefit from a five-day treatment course instead of a typical
course that spans nine-weeks. The enhanced visualization provided
by Clarity has increased Dr. Kim's confidence in hitting the target
and avoiding normal tissues, while reducing the radiation treatment
margins around the prostate.
"With the reduction of radiation treatment margins, we have been
able to generate both SBRT and conventionally-fractionated
treatment plans that minimize the volume of normal tissues such as
the bladder and rectum that receive high doses of radiation," Dr.
Kim explains. "This allows the opportunity for less
treatment-related toxicity," he notes. "You can only have tight
margins if you're confident you can maintain that margin throughout
beam delivery. Clarity helps us do it every time.
"Because the Clarity system can visualize and track the entire
prostate, invasive procedures for placement of fiducial markers to
aid prostate localization are no longer necessary," he adds.
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, Elekta
Tel: +1 770-670-2524, e-mail: raven.canzeri@elekta.com
Time zone: ET: Eastern Time
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 3,500
employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in
Stockholm, Sweden, and the company
is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker STO:EKTAB.
Website: www.elekta.com.
SOURCE Elekta
