Brainlab Continues to Advance Global Treatment Access and Consistency in Cancer Care Centers

MUNICH, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Three hundred Novalis Radiosurgery Programs now offer care to patients worldwide

Today Brainlab announced the inauguration of the 300^th Novalis^® Radiosurgery Program. The addition of another healthcare facility to the worldwide Novalis treatment, communication and collaboration network allows Brainlab to expand and build upon this distinctive and comprehensive program that the company established 15 years ago and continues to transform. These centers all share premium, standard-defining Brainlab technology, allowing for direct and consistent implementation of the same treatment protocols for radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

The 300^th Novalis Radiosurgery Program represents a significant milestone since Brainlab inaugurated the first NovalisRadiosurgery system at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA. Radiosurgery has advanced significantly over the past 15 years, with much of the conversation focusing around hardware innovations. While these iterations are an important part of industry progress, changing the paradigm has been realized by advances in software and patient positioning, such as volumetric dose planning, conformal dynamic arcs and 6D patient alignment.

The Novalis Radiosurgery Program has remained a constant within the industry progression, offering a comprehensive approach that encompasses technology, best practice and leadership. Facilities can be confident that they are consistently delivering a high standard of radiosurgery and SBRT, delivered via a premium configuration of components. All 300 Novalis Radiosurgery Program facilities can share protocols without extensive hardware adaptation to their Novalis-configured linear accelerator. This uniformity has the capacity to liberate customers, allowing them to adapt and drive new treatment protocols in high quality, non-invasive^[1] cancer treatment.

"The Novalis Radiosurgery Program has opened doors for patients in many different ways," says David W. Andrews, MD, at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "The capabilities that we now have in terms of dose planning and treatment delivery are widening not only the types of cancers we can treat, but the precision with which we treat them. In the last decade, there have been significant changes in how we approach intracranial lesions. Our investment into the Novalis Radiosurgery Program has been one factor that has enabled us to realize and implement consistent, modern radiosurgery treatment protocols as well as establish an elevated standard of care."

The advanced Novalis Radiosurgery software and patient positioning ensure that each system can accurately track and treat tumors virtually anywhere in the body in as little as a single session. Novalis Radiosurgery offers a painless alternative or complement to invasive surgery and may deliver fewer side effects. Neurosurgeons choose Novalis Radiosurgery because the Program offers them not only a streamlined transition from surgery, but is also a viable primary treatment alternative. With the largest active installed base in radiosurgery, the Novalis Program provides patients across the globe access to what has become a benchmark in cranial radiosurgery.

"At Brainlab, our aim over the last 20 years has been unwavering; to improve the care and quality of life for as many cancer patients as possible," says Stefan Vilsmeier, founder and CEO of Brainlab. "We do this by providing clinicians access to some of the latest treatment technology, which draws upon the interconnectivity between medical devices and clinical expertise. The growing network of Novalis Radiosurgery Programs treats more patients than all other dedicated radiosurgery systems combined.

Brainlab will continue to enable the consistent application of more precise treatments, benchmarked against what is Best Practice in this field, in order to treat more cancer patients and impact more lives."

About Brainlab

Brainlab develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology with the aim of optimizing patient treatments. Core products revolve around less invasive image guided surgery technology, more accurate and effective radiation therapy, and integration through planning and collaboration systems that brings patient data and physicians together. http://www.brainlab.com

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^[1]   Some doctors may opt for a minimally invasive head frame depending on the specific treatment and patient.