New relocatable radiation therapy system from TomoTherapy

Oct 15 2009

TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today the availability of the industry's first relocatable radiation therapy solution -- TomoMobile™ -- which is designed to quickly and cost-effectively bring cutting-edge radiation therapy solutions to patients in underserved and rural markets.

The TomoMobile solution consists of a standard TomoTherapy® radiation therapy system housed in a custom-designed movable coach that replicates the environment of a conventional treatment vault. The integrated mobile unit enables TomoTherapy customers to begin treating patients during construction of a new facility, in advance of system installation, to alleviate temporary backlogs or for a permanent placement in centers that are unable to expand their facility.

Artesian Cancer Center of Muskogee in Oklahoma will become the first TomoTherapy customer to utilize the TomoMobile solution for providing patient treatments. The solution will be on display in booth 1881 during the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) being held November 1-5, 2009, in Chicago.

Artesian Cancer Centers, which operates three additional TomoTherapy treatment centers across Oklahoma, will use the TomoTherapy system within a relocatable coach to begin treating patients in Muskogee while it constructs a new medical office building during the next 10 to 12 months. Once the permanent TomoTherapy system is operational at that facility, Artesian plans to transport its TomoMobile solution to another location where radiation therapy services are needed.

"We saw an immediate need for high quality radiation therapy services in Muskogee, but knew we would have to delay offering TomoTherapy for almost a year until our new cancer center was built," said Derek Prentice, president and CEO of DMP Imaging, developer of Artesian Cancer Center of Muskogee. "TomoMobile allows us to accelerate the process significantly. In addition, it will allow us to confirm viability of these services in the market and speed our ability to generate revenue, perhaps to the point where we can utilize cash flow from the mobile unit to fund the purchase of our permanent TomoTherapy system."

The TomoTherapy treatment system is ideally suited for placement in a mobile or relocatable environment because of a relatively compact profile that integrates imaging and delivery systems into a single, enclosed unit. The ring gantry design of the TomoTherapy system offers the same look and similar footprint of traditional computed tomography (CT) scanners, which are often deployed as mobile units. In addition, because of the TomoTherapy unit's standard integral primary beam stop and extensive radiation head shielding, radiation leakage is reduced so that the further shielding required in the trailer is transportable.

The TomoTherapy platform also includes a treatment planning system, CT-based image guidance with automatic registration, automated machine and patient quality assurance tools and two versatile radiation delivery modalities for treating common, complex and rare cancers throughout the body.

"Cancer patients in Muskogee have limited treatment options available in their community, or they have to travel long distances to larger metropolitan cancer centers," said Dr. Doug Kelly, a radiation oncologist with Artesian. "The TomoTherapy system's unique design makes this radiation therapy system a natural fit for a mobile environment, and enables us to bring state-of the-art cancer care to underserved markets like Muskogee."

"The introduction of the TomoMobile solution is another TomoTherapy milestone for the radiation therapy industry," said Del Coufal, vice president of marketing at TomoTherapy. "With this increased availability in care, we open new avenues for radiation therapy and give patients an opportunity to receive high quality care in or near their hometowns."