St James's Institute of Oncology orders two Versa HD systems to improve patient care

St James's Institute of Oncology, a leading radiotherapy center in the UK, recently ordered two Versa HD™ systems, an advanced linear accelerator designed to improve patient care and treat a wide range of tumors throughout the body. As the latest, most sophisticated cancer treatment system on the market, Versa HD can help maximize health care resources. The system can deliver conventional therapies to a wide range of tumors throughout the body, while also permitting treatment of complex cancers that require extreme targeting accuracy.

St James's investigators performed extensive clinical studies with High Dose Rate mode and Elekta's 160-leaf multileaf collimator (Agility™), both critical components of Versa HD. Agility provides exceptional conformance of the radiation beam to the tumor, avoiding healthy tissue. In addition, the unique combination of Agility – with its rapid leaf speeds – and High Dose Rate mode enables rapid delivery of the radiation dose, enabling faster treatments. In their clinical studies of these integrated technologies, St James's researchers achieved substantial reductions in treatment times.

"These early experiences with Agility and High Dose Rate mode formed our decision to acquire two Versa HD systems at the earliest opportunity," says Vivian Cosgrove , Ph.D., Head of Radiotherapy Physics at St James's.

St James's first Versa HD will be ready to treat patients in July 2013, with the second system operational by the end of the year.

Lung and prostate cancers targeted

St James's clinicians foresee an important role for Versa HD in the treatment of inoperable lung cancer. The clinic has used hypofractionated lung stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) since 2009, employing its Elekta technology extensively for these patients. Now, with Versa HD, St James's hopes to exploit the system's speed to further limit the likelihood of patient movement during treatment, thereby improving the accuracy and safety of SRT.

For its Versa HD systems, St James's will prioritize the treatment of these inoperable lung cancer patients, in addition to those with prostate cancer.

"We are managing a heavy workload of more than 7,000 new radiotherapy patients per year," says Kevin Franks , M.D., Consultant in Clinical Oncology at St James's. "The Versa HD systems will definitely enhance our treatment efficiency. In fact, we have an ambitious plan to treat over 60 patients per day on the first Versa HD installed in our department. Our initial experience indicates this is achievable."

"In addition to minimizing risk of irradiating healthy tissue, we also decrease treatment times, making it a much better experience for the patient," he adds. "Moreover, by reducing treatment times, we should be able to add more patients to the daily schedule, which will increase access to this technology for patients in Leeds and throughout Yorkshire."