King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) is treating cancer patients with Elekta's Versa HD radiotherapy system, equipped with advanced beam-shaping and high dose rate delivery technologies.

 

It will enable physicians to treat cancer patients with a new, combination of accuracy and speed, said a statement.

 

Prof Yasir Bahadur, KAUH's vice dean and Faculty of Medicine and Radiotherapy Unit chairman, said:  "We had been looking for an advanced radiation therapy system that integrated well in our current department setup.

 

"We already have been using Elekta Synergy(R) linear accelerator, Monaco(R) treating planning, MOSAIQ(R) and brachytherapy systems for some time. Versa HD fits in well and provides Agility(TM) beam-shaping for high-precision radiotherapy and high dose rate mode to reduce beam delivery time."

 

Most Versa HD treatments at KAUH are performed using the Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) technique, in which radiation therapy is delivered in one or more uninterrupted arcs, thereby reducing treatment time versus conventional step-and-shoot delivery.

 

As the hospital's clinicians gain more experience with the system, they plan to begin stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments in early 2016.

 

"Our initial experience with Versa HD has been promising," said Prof Bahadur.

 

"Saudi Arabia is using cutting-edge radiation therapy technology in the vast majority of the country's centres. In our opinion this trend will continue, so we anticipate that demand for advanced technology will increase. KAUH is not only a patient-centered organisation, but an academic institution as well. Therefore, we are looking forward to acquiring technology that is beneficial for our patients, in addition to sustainable partnerships for educating and training our students and young professionals," he added. - TradeArabia News Service