Elekta proudly unveils new brachytherapy products
At Elekta, Brachytherapy innovation is in our DNA. With abundant clinical
evidence, it is an indispensable part of radiation therapy. With that in
mind, we wanted to continue to share our latest additions to the
portfolio, to reaffirm our commitment to be here until cancer isn’t. Like
our clinical partners, we keep thinking forward!
Presented by Maarten ter Mors
Presented by Arnoud Klont
Elekta Flexitron afterloader—Performance you can rely on
Providing treatment certainty in a safe way and building on a world-class
legacy, the 7th generation Flexitron is the most durable afterloader.
Designed with safety in mind to prevent human error in a smooth workflow
with faster treatment—up to 30%.
visit Flexitron product page
We are proud to present Elekta’s universal gynecological
applicator—Elekta Geneva!
Geneva* is an adaptable solution for a diverse patient population. This
solution provides precise treatment planning and accurate dose
delivery—and is quick and easy to assemble, ready for use in just four
clicks, ensuring a fast workflow.
visit Geneva product page
*Geneva applicator is CE Marked and has U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance.
Presented by Eylem Arikan
We hope you have enjoyed hearing about the innovation that is happening in the
field of brachytherapy. We wanted to share this with you as we know, like you,
we want to help make precision radiation medicine available to all. We also
hope to see many of you soon.
Thank you for you joining us.
Your recent questions
A: If you have any questions about the new products
presented on this page, please submit your questions using the form
provided. We will review your questions and endeavour to answer them
on this page.
A: Geneva has CE clearance and is currently 510K
and Health Canada pending. Please contact your local sales
representative for more information about Geneva and its
availability.
A: Geneva is a modular applicator, you can choose
and set up your own set, similar to the Venezia applicator. You only
purchase the modules you need for your patients.
A: The Geneva intrauterine tubes have indeed a 4mm
diameter, however through innovation, the offset has been reduced to
8mm. This allows treating closer to the fundus of the uterus with
the same tandem length. On that topic: Geneva also has an 80 mm
intrauterine tube, which is longer than most historic applicators.
A: The efficiency improvement of the treatment
execution depends on the amount of channels being used for
treatment. Flexitron is up to 30% faster when doing a single channel
treatment. For a common gyn treatment (using 3 channels) Flexitron
is now 20% faster! The more channels (and dwell positions) the
treatment has, the more the treatment time is dominated by the
source activity, by physics in other words.
A: Elekta has improved the design of 12 components
of the selector resulting in unrivalled uptime. The selector is the
component of Flexitron that brings the source and check cables to
the correct channel and verifies that this happens correctly every
time. Some of these automated verifications provide Flexitron with
its legendary safety built-in by design. The component improvements
allow Flexitron to recover from an error scenario in such a
verification or even prevent it occurs at all. That’s what
unrivalled uptime means: letting treatments continue as planned was
of paramount important in the design. Also, the selector
improvements contribute to the performance gains made in the 7th
generation Flexitron.
A: Window 10 IoT (= “Internet of Things”) is a
dedicated platform which is used as the basis of Cyber security and
patient data privacy support, for devices like Flexitron where a
much higher standard of unattended operation is required than a
standard Windows PC. Window 10 IoT allows Elekta to apply
“Hardening” to the system. Hardening is the process of securing a
system by reducing its surface of vulnerability, which has been done
both on and by the Windows 10 IoT platform and in the Flexitron
software itself.
A: Yes Geneva uses the same ProGuide interstitial
needles and guiding tubes as Venezia.
A: Geneva can be used post hysterectomy with the
special Interstitial Tube. You can now insert a needle in between
the ovoids in more accurate way, which makes use of a proguide
needle.
A: The new Flexitron is available for both the
Iridium version as well as the Cobalt version. Note that
availability is depending per country on registration. Please
contact local Elekta representative for more information about
availibility.
A: Yes, Geneva is compatible with the
microSelectron Digital (V3) and Flexitron afterloader.
A: Just like many other Elekta applicators Geneva
is MR safe. This is a unique property of Elekta applicators, it
contains no metal parts.
A: 13mm /15mm ovoids have in total 6 needle
channels (left and right 3 each), 20mm/25mm have 10 needles channels
in total, 30mm/35mm/40mm have 14 needle channels in total. In
between ovoids you can use the interstitial tube to insert needle
between ovoids. You can also use the medial needle channels on the
ovoids.
A: Elekta applicators like Geneva, the Flexitron
afterloader and the Oncentra Brachy treatment planning system are
one integrated, unbreakable unity to provide the clinical benefits,
planning efficiency and treatment accuracy and safety. As such,
Geneva can only be used with Elekta Flexitron and microSelectron
Digital afterloaders.
A: Yes! Virtually all currently installed Flexitron
afterloaders can be upgraded to benefit from the new functionality
and performance enhancements. For ElektaCare customers, the upgrade
is part of your contract entitlement in many cases. For recently
installed machines, the upgrade falls under warranty. The exact
details depend on your Flexitron machine and configuration. Please
contact your local Elekta representative for details.
A: Geneva is MR safe, it is therefore visible under
any image modality (CT, MR, US, X-Ray). Image guidance is possible
under CT, ultrasound and even MR.
A: We kept the visual identity of the 7th
generation Flexitron very close to the 6th generation. In spite of
the many changes ‘under the hood’, Elekta’s engineers succeeded in
maintaining the proven ergonomics, small footprint and low weight of
the Flexitron afterloader.
A: For the Asian patients, small pelvic anatomies
Geneva offers the smallest Interstitial Ovoids which was not
available till now. The size is 13mm (radius 7,5) and height is also
reduced to 20mm, compared to standard ovoids which are 25mm hight 9
(raduis 10). There are also 4mm intrauterine tube available in
angles 15, 30 and 45 degrees and lengths from 0mm to 80mm.
A: First of all Venezia is ring shaped applicator,
and Geneva has Ovoids. The choice of using either ring or Ovoids
depends of the clinician, the patient, and the tumor shape.
Sometimes where the ring shape fits perfect the anatomy in some
cases the Ovoids can offer a better fit and so the better target
coverage. Secondly, Venezia is really for those advanced stage cases
up to stage IV cervical cases, with possibility of inserting oblique
needles in the lunar shaped ovoids. Geneva can only treat stages up
to IIB and has a special interstitial tube where you can treat
patient who had hysterectomy, in a more accurate way through a
ProGuide needle. Geneva offers also the smallest ovoid with a
diameter of 13mm interstitial for those patient where you need the
smaller ovoid and even sometimes Venezia doesn’t fit.