Healthcare Industry News:  radiosurgery 

Devices Oncology

 News Release - May 17, 2013

Puerto Rico's Caribbean Imaging and Radiation Therapy Center Orders Elekta's New Versa HD System for Treatment of Cancer Patients

Linear accelerator is island's first Versa HD

PONCE, Puerto Rico, May 17, 2013 -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- Serving a region of 650,000 inhabitants in southern, central and western Puerto Rico, Caribbean Imaging and Radiation Therapy (CIRT, Ponce, PR) Center has improved its radiation therapy capabilities with the acquisition of an Elekta Versa HD™ system, the first in Puerto Rico. Versa HD offers clinicians the versatility to deliver conventional therapies to treat a wide range of tumors throughout the body, while also enabling treatment of highly complex cancers that require extreme targeting precision.

"There is no doubt in my mind that our patients will benefit with Versa HD," says Santiago Sallaberry, M.D., Director of Radiotherapy at CIRT, a private clinic where Versa HD will join an existing Elekta Synergy® system. "Treatment times will be faster thanks to the system's High Dose Rate mode and Agility™, and we'll be able to more closely conform to the tumor shape with Agility advanced beam shaping."

CIRT physicians anticipate the first patient to be treated with Versa HD in late July.

Stereotactic program on horizon

CIRT's acquisition of Versa HD also will be the clinic's inroad into high-dose, highly targeted stereotactic treatments, he adds.

"A stereotactic radiation therapy program will be a very important component of our service here," Dr. Sallaberry says. "Particularly for elderly patients and those with head-and-neck cancers who need to wear a thermoplastic mask, the speed of the High Dose Rate mode and Agility could reduce treatment times by 40 to 60 percent. We think Versa HD also will improve stereotactic therapy for metastatic cancer, such as nodules in the anterolateral lung. The accuracy and potency of stereotaxy will improve the lives of these patients."

The most common cases treated at CIRT, which treats 65 patients a day, are breast and prostate cancers.

For more information, visit www.VersaHD.com.

Versa HD is not for sale or distribution in all markets.

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 healthcare 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 3,400 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. Website: www.elekta.com.


Source: Elekta

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Please address inquiries directly to the issuing company.



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