Following US and European approvals of Elekta's Versa HD™ linear accelerator, the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has cleared the radiation therapy system for sale and marketing in the country.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, well over three million people are diagnosed with cancer every year in China, the most common types including lung, gastric, colorectal, liver and esophageal cancers. Versa HD is designed to improve patient care and treat a wide range of tumors throughout the body.
Versa HD is equipped with the Agility™ multileaf collimator for high-speed, high-precision beam shaping to support extremely accurate tumor targeting and improved healthy tissue preservation. Together with High Dose Rate mode, Versa HD is able to improve clinical workflow by providing rapid delivery of more sophisticated therapies within standard radiotherapy treatment times.
Elekta's Anming Gong, Managing Director for China, says: "As cancer rates continue to rise in China, the need for advanced and effective treatment becomes even greater. Versa HD will help support the government's health care reform, which includes upgrading community and rural health care facilities by 2020."
Versa HD has been overwhelmingly popular since its launch in 2013, with shipments made to 30 countries. Elekta has been present in China since 1982 and eight of 10 top cancer centers have Elekta linear accelerators. The introduction of Versa HD will strengthen Elekta's leading position in the Chinese market.