United Kingdom's Northampton General Hospital Treats First Prostate Cancer Patient Using HDR Brachytherapy as Sole Treatment

- Key to procedure is Nucletron's HDR Real-time Prostate Solution for prostate brachytherapy

NORTHAMPTON, England, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Clinicians at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) recently used "monotherapy" HDR brachytherapy for the first time for a patient with prostate cancer, enabling the patient to make just two visits to the clinic for treatment. Traditional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) requires the patient to undergo as many as 40 therapy sessions over seven weeks. Planning for HDR brachytherapy was significantly streamlined with the HDR Real-time Prostate Solution – by Nucletron, an Elekta Company – which provides real-time ultra-sound planning capabilities.

HDR brachytherapy uses a single high-intensity radiation source on the end of a thin cable that is temporarily inserted – via remote afterloader – into catheters positioned in the disease target.

"Monotherapy HDR brachytherapy – using this form of brachytherapy as the only treatment – will be used for patients who are not suited for EBRT due to medical reasons," says Chris Elwell, M.D., clinical oncologist at NGH. "This first patient had inflammatory bowel disease and could not tolerate a full course of EBRT. HDR brachytherapy was his best option, because it allowed him to have just two treatment sessions separated by 10 days and enabled us to reduce the radiotherapy dose to his rectum. In this way, the patient's travel to the hospital was greatly reduced and he could return to normal life more quickly."

The complexity of planning HDR brachytherapy demanded an advanced solution, which NGH physicians found in HDR Real-time Prostate Solution, which provided live ultrasound images in real time for contouring, planning and optimization.

"Because we run a busy department with high patient throughput, live ultrasound planning with HDR Real-time Prostate Solution was critical," Dr. Elwell says. "It provided an efficient and streamlined workflow for HDR brachytherapy."

Monotherapy HDR brachytherapy is the subject of rigorous multicenter clinical research trials in the United Kingdom, with new treatment protocols emerging for the procedure. Peter Hoskin, M.D., consultant clinical oncologist at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, has collected data that point toward the therapy's clinical efficacy.

For further information, please contact:
Johan Andersson Melbi, Director, Investor Relations, Elekta AB
Tel: +46 702 100 451, email: johan.anderssonmelbi@elekta.com
Time zone: CET: Central European Time

Michelle Joiner, Director, Global Public Relations and Brand Management, Elekta
Tel: +1 770-670-2447, email: michelle.joiner@elekta.com
Time zone: ET: Eastern Time

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.