Event marks continued progress in global consortium’s effort to improve patient
outcomes through real-time clinical imaging and precise treatment delivery
AMSTERDAM, April 18, 2016 – 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.
# # #
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
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: 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
www.philips.com/newscenter.
