Elekta AB received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing the company to begin shipping and installation of all components of the Versa HD(TM) system within the United States. Featuring high precision beam shaping and tumor targeting, and capable of delivering radiation doses three times faster than previous Elekta linear accelerators, Versa HD sets a higher benchmark for cancer treatment. Fully integrated with the Agility(TM) 160-leaf multileaf collimator (MLC), Versa HD provides high-definition, high-speed beam shaping over a versatile 40 X 40 cm field. This unique combination of fast MLC leaf speed with the new High Dose Rate mode empowers clinicians to fully exploit high dose rate delivery and take advanced therapies such as VMAT, SRS and SRT to new levels -- without compromising treatment times. Versa HD also features: - Safety innovations. - Customizable, disease-specific configurations. - Modern patient-friendly ergonomics. - Fewer delays and downtime with real-time remote system monitoring. - Low environmental impact, low energy consumption design.

Odense University Hospital (OUH, Odense) recently signed an order to acquire two Versa HD(TM) radiation therapy treatment systems. Elekta AB announced the global launch of Versa HD, an advanced linear accelerator designed to improve patient care and treat a broader range of cancers, and featuring ultra-conformal beam shaping and tumor targeting. Versa HD promises the versatility to enable clinicians to deliver conventional therapies to a wide range of tumors throughout the body, while also permitting treatment of very complex cancers that require extreme targeting accuracy. Versa HD also unveils new capabilities designed to maximize health care system resources and deliver highly sophisticated therapies without compromising treatment times. Versa HD incorporates technologies designed to provide an immediate impact to patient health and quality of life. Integrated with Elekta's revolutionary Agility MLC, Versa HD provides highly conformal beam shaping a critical requirement for maximizing the dose to the target while also preserving surrounding healthy tissues. Significantly, this high targeting accuracy is available over a large field-of-view, permitting delivery of high-definition (HD) beams to a broad spectrum of complex targets. Historically, high-definition beam shaping often was mechanically limited to only small target therapies. Versa HD with Agility overcomes this challenge, empowering clinicians to deliver extremely precise beam contouring for both small and large targets. Capable of delivering radiation doses three times faster than previous generation Elekta linear accelerators, Versa HD harnesses the ultra-fast leaf speeds of Agility MLC. With this groundbreaking combination, clinicians can now for the first time fully exploit high dose rate delivery, potentially enabling even greater capabilities for sophisticated therapies, including stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).

In the spring of 2013, Kuopio University Hospital (KUH, Kuopio, Finland) will take a leap forward in radiation therapy capabilities when the center begins treating patients with its two new Elekta Infinity(TM) treatment systems equipped with the revolutionary Agility(TM) 160-leaf multileaf collimator (MLC). The two Elekta therapy systems will replace two older generation linear accelerators from Varian Medical Systems. In combination with Agility, the Infinity systems -- specifically designed to deliver fast Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) -- will enable faster treatments tailored to the profile of the tumor. Agility uses 160 high-speed, 5mm-wide beam-shaping leaves to accurately conform the radiation field to the lesion's shape, and moves the leaves at twice the speed of other MLCs. KUH also has purchased Elekta's Oncentra(R) VMAT and Monaco(R) treatment planning systems. In 2015, KUH will relocate its radiation therapy systems to a new six-bunker radiotherapy department.