Siemens Strengthens Its Commitment To Fighting Cancer - Fast And Focused

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine;  MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Article Date: 03 Nov 2010 - 4:00 PDT


Siemens Healthcare returns to the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), October 31 - November 3, in San Diego with a pledge to fight cancer - fast and focused. At this year's booth (#2715), Siemens will demonstrate its continued commitment to battling cancer with a portfolio that covers the spectrum of oncology care from diagnostic oncology imaging to radiation therapy.

"Siemens' unique Imaging and Therapy solutions offer excellent image quality for low dose image guidance and best in class leakage characteristics for treatment delivery," said Wolfgang Rueger PhD, vice president, Oncology Care Systems, Siemens Healthcare. "It is consistent with our philosophy, focusing on the needs of patient care."

To further highlight Siemens' commitment, the booth will feature live presentations on Siemens' premier innovations for the ARTISTE™ Solution linear accelerator. One stage will feature the IM-RealART™ Solution, based on the CTVision™ system in conjunction with the PROWESS® RealART Treatment Planning software, and the latest Siemens' stereotactic offering with a high dose rate of 2,000 MU/minute, at four flattening filter-free energy selections. On a separate stage, a new CT system with a 65 cm scan FoV and excellent image quality for precise contouring and planning in radiation therapy will be presented to the radiation oncology community for the first time.

IM-RealART

Siemens brings the treatment plan to the patient with the IM-RealART Solution, one of the first real-time adaptive radiation therapy solutions that allows physicians to produce high quality treatment plans in approximately nine minutes and does not require patient re-positioning prior to treatment delivery. IM-RealART Solution is designed specifically for immediate replanning within Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT). It combines Siemens' ARTISTE with the 160MLC, and CTVision system with the PROWESS® RealART Treatment Planning System, offering diagnostic image quality in the treatment room, while allowing physicians to react immediately to changes in patient anatomy and replan the treatment on the spot.

The IM-Confident™ Plan consists of the ARTISTE with the 160 MLC and PROWESS® intelligent treatment planning software. These components may help reduce the treatment time required for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to five minutes or less. This combination makes daily workflow in radiation oncology much simpler and more efficient, while simultaneously enabling high precision patient treatment. With these innovative technologies, the tumor can be irradiated with excellent accuracy, while the latest treatment planning software and imaging enables planning, replanning, and treatment to proceed as swiftly as possible.

CTVision

CTVision is comprised of a CT Gantry on rails system, a Siemens linear accelerator, and a treatment table offering highly precise positioning accuracy. This unique in-room combination provides low dose CT imaging with diagnostic image quality, immediately prior to treatment, for a fast and focused Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT).

The CT gantry travels smoothly on rails, enabling fast image acquisition, while the patient remains positioned on the treatment table. CTVision offers the same high-contrast diagnostic CT image quality as the original planning CT in the treatment room. The CT images feature the best soft-tissue contrast of any IGRT modality, which facilitates rapid image comparison and repositioning decisions. With CTVision, a CT scan can be performed and the treatment delivered during a single time slot - in one room.

The rotatable 550 TxT Treatment Table has a positioning accuracy of ±0.5 mm and ±0.5 degrees. Its exceptional mechanical strength and unique lifting mechanism allow the treatment of patients weighing up to 550 pounds (250 kg). The syngo® Adaptive Targeting™ software automatically matches the newly acquired CT images with the planning CT and proposes the table offset. Intelligent tools make comparing the two diagnostic image data sets easy.

ARTISTE Solution with In-Line kView™*

ARTISTE Solution is a linear accelerator that provides a comprehensive portfolio of image-guided and advanced treatment delivery tools enabling clinicians to choose the appropriate radiation therapy treatment technique for each patient, make critical adjustments instantly, and deliver Adaptive Radiation Therapy (ART) according to each patient's needs. Available with Multiple-X™**, the ARTISTE provides a very high dose-rate of up to 2,000 MU/minute in combination with one flat beam and up to four selectable flattening filter-free energy selections. Thus, the physician can tailor the energy to individual therapeutic demands.

In addition, ARTISTE will offer the In-Line kView* imaging feature for use with image-guided radiation therapy. With this unique technology, the modified and optimized treatment beam is used for pre-treatment imaging. In-Line kView* provides kV-like images with high 2D and 3D soft-tissue contrast. The dose used for imaging can be incorporated into the overall treatment plan.

In-Line kView* imaging delivers the new standard in IGRT with one beam, one source, and one detector for kV-like 2D and 3D cone beam image quality. In-Line kView* imaging uses the same beam for both treatment and imaging to help verify patient positioning before and after treatment. Using a modified treatment beam, the low dose, kV-like high quality images are especially suited for a large variety of treatment regimens across patient populations. The syngo Adaptive Targeting software quickly and reliably compares pretreatment images with planning CT images, and provides powerful image fusion and 3D visualization tools.

Fast and Focused Stereotactic Treatments

Siemens' stereotactic solutions combine the ARTISTE Solution with the best-in-class 160 MLC Multileaf Collimator, a high-precision 550 TxT Treatment Table with the optional TT-S carbon fiber stereotactic tabletop, is tailored for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT). The open architecture allows for stereotactic components for patient fixation and treatment planning. These features, in combination with the high dose rate of Multiple-X** and enhanced patient immobilization, make possible precise and rapid delivery of stereotactic treatment, minimize of dose to healthy tissue and organs at risk and reduction of treatment time, therefore, providing better tumor coverage and potentially better tumor control.

Virtual Simulation and Treatment Planning A dedicated Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) workplace, the syngo RT Dosimetrist v2.7, supports an array of innovative applications for segmentation, virtual simulation, plan management, and dose calculation to help master even the most complex cases. Available with advanced segmentation tools, syngo RT Dosimetrist enables users to achieve accurate contours easily and intuitively - even with rough mouse contouring - speeding up OAR segmentation to three minutes.

Furthermore, fast editing tools help adapt the contour shapes to specific needs and, along with Virtual Simulation, it is easy to set up reference points and isocenter and to control beams with Beam's-Eye-View (BEV) and Room's-Eye-View (REV) display of the RT image (DRR).

Molecular Imaging

Siemens will also showcase the power of Molecular Imaging in Oncology with the large bore Biograph® mCT. The only integrated imaging device to offer routine, whole-body positron emission tomography (PET) scanning in just five minutes, Biograph mCT enables both molecular imaging and radiology to take advantage of its large bore capacity and high-definition technology, with premium CT capabilities with up to 128 slices. Using its advanced PET technology, the scanner is the world's only system that offers High-Definition PET imaging with 2 mm uniform PET resolution throughout the field of view (FOV), combined with the enhanced contrast of time-of-flight (TOF) technology. Results of this unique combination of High-Definition PET and Siemens TOF technology have been proven and published in the August, 2009 issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Results of the study showed that when the techniques are used together, they provide better lesion detection than using TOF alone.

The entire Biograph TruePoint PET•CT family of imagers features high-resolution PET•CT for diagnosis, staging, planning, and integration of biology imaging in the treatment plan with proven connectivity with most treatment plans and treatment evaluation.

One of Siemens' latest applications for oncology workflow management, syngo TrueD, enhances the ability to compare patient scans over time and on one screen by allowing the user to simultaneously display three studies, such as baseline and two follow-up exams. syngo TrueD was designed specifically for the oncology workflow, including diagnosis, staging, and assessment of cancer treatment response.

MR in Oncology

Siemens redefines Magnetic Resonance in Oncology with its unique Total Imaging Matrix (Tim™) technology with up to 205 cm imaging. Tim technology enables multi-region exams without patient or coil repositioning, and enhances oncologic imaging workflow and efficiencies to the next level. syngo MR applications powered by Tim provide image morphology, access function (fMRI), and metabolites (spectroscopy) non-invasively. Tim also enables radiotherapy planning through a partnership with CIVCO and their flat tabletop indexing system and positioning accessories.

* In-Line kView is work in progress, requires 510(k) pre-market review, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.
** Multiple-X is work in progress, requires 510(k) pre-market review, and is not yet commercially available in the U.S.
*** All competitive claims valid at time of publication, data on file.

Source:
Siemens Healthcare Sector

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