Experts Meet to Drive Improvements in Cancer Treatment in Europe

COPENHAGEN, March 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Clinicians come together in Copenhagen to discuss the best approaches for future brain, prostate and lung cancer radiotherapy treatment

Today clinicians from around the world will gather at the 4^th Brainlab European Radiotherapy User Meeting to share their best practice and experiences in treating difficult-to-treat cancers using advanced radiotherapy.

The two-day meeting held at the Global Center of Stereotactic Radiotherapy at Rigs Hospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, aims to discuss the best approaches for future radiation treatment to achieve the best outcomes for patients. Over 170 clinicians from nearly 90 different international cancer centres will hear 33 different advanced approaches for treating cancers across the body using modern radiation therapy techniques.

Highlights of the meeting will be keynote presentations on new protocols for the treatment of lung, prostate and brain cancers with radiosurgery. These protocols will show that radiosurgery can offer faster treatment times, shorter periods of treatment and in turn allows greater numbers of patients to be treated using the same advanced radiotherapy systems.

Prostate Cancer clinical specialist Professor Raymond Miralbell, Head of Radiation Oncology at University Hospital Geneva, Switzerland, will present his experiences treating prostate cancer using a novel radiosurgery approach. He comments:

"Using extreme hypo fractionation we will show how prostate cancer can be treated accurately and effectively in a very short timeframe, offering a non-invasive treatment option to patients with comparable results to traditional open surgery. At the meeting we aim to share findings and also launch a call for clinicians use this protocol in their own centers and help gather further results that will enable further improvements in treatment."

Brainlab's bi-annual Radiotherapy meeting immediately follows the launch of the Global Center of Stereotactic Radiotherapy at Rigs Hospitalet, launched to local clinicians the previous day. The facility is one of the most well equipped cancer centers worldwide with advanced technology that allows clinicians to both treat and research some of the most modern techniques available to patients.

Professor Sven Aage Engelholm, Head of Radiation Therapy, comments:

"We now have some of the most advanced technologies in the world for treating cancer. We are hoping that with the combination of the latest technologies and improved treatment protocols we will be able to maximise the number of patients we can treat, and are aiming to treat 3,000 patients in the next five years."

Stefan Vilsmeier, founder and CEO of Brainlab, comments:

"A key initiative for Brainlab is to promote clinical best practice and we are pleased to be involved in partnerships with key centers that are driving clinical excellence in radiosurgery and cancer care. As a company, we have a dedication to support clinicians to improve their clinical workflows and in turn improve cancer care for their patients."

About Brainlab

Brainlab develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology that supports targeted, less-invasive treatment. Core products are image-guided systems and software that provide real-time information used for surgical navigation and radiosurgical planning and delivery.

Brainlab technology drives collaboration between hospitals and clinicians from a wide variety of subspecialties-from neurosurgery and oncology to orthopedics, ENT, CMF and spine and trauma. This integration delivers better access to improved and more efficient treatment.

Founded in 1989, the privately held Brainlab group has more than 5,000 systems installed in over 80 countries. Based in Munich, Germany, Brainlab employs 1020 people in  17 offices worldwide.

To learn more, visit http://www.brainlab.com.