Elekta gathers users to demonstrate clinical use of IGRT

Elekta focused on its ability to provide high-resolution three-dimensional volumetric imaging on a linear accelerator (cone-beam computerized tomography, CBCT), at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Denver, Colo., in mid-October.

The company presented information regarding the clinical capabilities of its IGRT technology and VolumeView on the Elekta Synergy system. According the Elekta, a large amount of scientific presentations on image guided and stereotactic applications are authored by its customers. As evidence of this, a total of 31 presentations were held by Elekta users and several more were presented at the joint IMPAC and Elekta user meeting on Oct. 15th, when more than 1,100 IMPAC and Elekta users gathered.

Of the presentations, highlights included:

• A presentation from Inga Grills MD, from William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., detailed recent advancements in breast cancer treatment using Elekta's 4D Adaptive IGRT. Grills' session demonstrated how to avoid long-term cardiac damage and gave an overview of the latest clinical experiences and outcomes of IGRT for breast cancer;
  
  
• Robert Timmerman, MD, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, Texas, provided insight in Image Guided Treatment Management of lung cancer. Advancements in radiotherapy provide the ability to treat lung cancer patients with increased accuracy. Timmerman's session featured a report on the progress of current research initiatives, the challenges in treating lung cancer, and the clinical experience in applying stereotactic principles to lung; and
  
  
• Curtis Miyamoto, MD, professor and chairman, Temple University Comprehensive Center in Philadelphia, presented research on clinical applications for management of metastases. The session demonstrated the value of dedicated, disease-specific solutions - stereotactic radiation therapy and Gamma Knife surgery - and how to adapt the best radiation treatment method for the challenges of treating metastases in the spine and brain.

At the joint user meeting, clinicians also received a first look at SYNERGISTIQ, a work-in-progress integrated radiotherapy workspace developed by the Elekta and IMPAC R&D teams. The workspace will integrate Elekta Synergy and IMPAC MOSAIQ image-enabled electronic medical record (EMR) for a streamlined image-guided treatment delivery system with one display, one keyboard, one point of control, Elekta said.