Elekta has received FDA 510(k) clearances for its Elekta VMAT solution designed for radiation oncology.

Adding radiation therapy to surgery significantly improves overallsurvival in patients diagnosed with node-positive head and neck cancerwhen compared to treating with surgery alone, according to a study inthe June issue of International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics.

Apple plans to launch its iPhone 3G July 11, with add-on applicationsoffering medical imaging capabilities. The company said medical imagingis data intensive and requires considerable user interaction, which itbelieves the iPhone’s multi-touch interface supports.

Elekta will supply nine Elekta Synergy digital linear acceleratorsystems to Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Louisiana over the nextfew years.

Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation (AMIC) has begun the productionand distribution of medical isotopes within the United States, andhopes to disseminate the process throughout the country by expandingits production facilities domestically and globally with purchases andstrategic relationships.

Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) investigators and ImCloneSystems have added the biologic agent cetuximab (Erbitux) tochemotherapy and radiotherapy for patients with inoperable non-smallcell lung cancer, resulting in higher survival rates, accordingto results presented at the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology(ASCO) meeting in Chicago this week.

New devices, radiation therapy treatment planning systems andinformation systems present unique challenges to the modern radiationoncology department. Just as radiology a decade ago opened its doors toIT with the development of PACS, radiation oncology now is opening itsdoors to IT solutions that can streamline workflow.

Varian Medical Systems and Still River Systems have formed an agreementto develop an interface between Varian's Aria oncology informationsystem and Still River's Monarch250 proton beam radiotherapy system.