Radiation Oncology Experts from 16 Countries Attend Conference on TomoTherapy

MADISON, Wis. – Oct. 29, 2008 – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TOMO) announced today that Technical University of Munich, Germany, recently welcomed 175 radiation oncology experts from 16 countries to the ‘International Conference on the Clinical Use of TomoTherapy’. The two-day event featured 35 technical talks from doctors and physicists. Presentations covered the multiple cancer types clinicians are treating with CT-guided, helical TomoTherapySM and treatment protocols that show promise in gaining improved outcomes for patients.

“We were extremely pleased to host this exciting scientific meeting to explore the clinical use of TomoTherapy,” said Prof. Michael Molls, M.D., chairman of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich. “Our clinic has used TomoTherapy for the last 2 years in a project funded by the German Oncology research foundation. This new technology, which combines CT imaging with a linear accelerator in one device, allows us to treat patients with a higher accuracy and to better shape dose distributions to target tumour volumes.”

source: TomoTherapy

Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and US Oncology Enter Collaboration to Increase Patient Access to National Clinical Trials

HOUSTON, October 16, 2008—The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and US Oncology, Inc. today announced they have entered into a collaboration to increase patient access to national cancer clinical trials with a radiation focus in the community setting.

The collaboration means patients receiving cancer care at practices affiliated with US Oncology have access to RTOG trials for disease sites including brain, head & neck, lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, cervix, and breast cancers. RTOG trials focus on testing the integration of radiation therapy with new systemic therapies and surgery.

The collaboration also marks the first time US Oncology, as a network of member practices, has participated in cooperative group trials in radiation oncology. In addition, US Oncology is the first multi-state, national organization to become an affiliate member of RTOG. Current members include large regional practices and academic practices with several facilities in metropolitan areas.

source: US Oncology

High energy beams a boost for cancer treatment

Chinese nuclear physicists have developed a medical treatment using heavy ion beams to destroy malignant tumors more than 2.1 cm below the skin's surface.

Compared with light ion beams, such as gamma rays and X-rays used in traditional radiotherapies, heavy ion beams are considered the most effective means so far of accurately moderating the amount of radiation and minimizing the damage done to healthy cells, said Zhan Wenlong, the country's leading nuclear physicist.

He explained the new treatment uses stronger heavy ion beams that reach a maximum of 400 mega electron volts (MeV) and can travel further into the human body to kill deeper tumors. With this medical goal achieved, China joins Germany, Japan and the United States using heavy ions in cancer therapy.

source: China Daily

Clinicians in Netherlands Treat Lung Cancer Patients Using New RapidArc Radiotherapy Technology from Varian Medical Systems

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Doctors in the Netherlands have used RapidArc technology from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) to treat four early stage lung cancer patients in what is believed to be among the world's first treatments of their kind. Clinicians at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam now plan to replace conventional stereotactic radiotherapy treatments with RapidArc for all such patients.

A 57-year-old male, diagnosed with a 1.2cm diameter non-small cell lung tumor in the right upper lobe and deemed unfit for surgery as a result of severe emphysema, was the first patient to receive the pioneering radiotherapy treatment at the hospital in early September.

"We normally use ultra-precise stereotactic radiotherapy in these cases and we have now treated more than 400 such patients in this way," said Dr. Ben Slotman, chairman of the hospital's department of radiation oncology. "But RapidArc offers some real time-savings over stereotactic radiotherapy and its use in this case is a al breakthrough for us and our patients."

source: Varian Medical Systems

Optimized Radiation for Prostate Cancer Therapy

The determination of the precise anatomical location of a tumor is the prerequisite for setting optimal parameters for radiation treatment of prostate cancer.

This approach guarantees that the ionizing radiation only destroys tumorous cells and does not affect other organs in the vicinity of the prostate. In a cooperative study with Innsbruck Medical University and the East-Vienna Center of Social Medicine, two physicists of Vienna University of Technology (TU), evaluated the mean deviation of radiation parameters for prostate cancers and compared various sources of radiation.

Movement inaccuracies of up to two centimeters may occur in prostate radiation. “During the radiation treatment, patients have to lie on a table for some 20 minutes without moving. Over time, the muscles relax and the pelvis drops. As a consequence, the radiation may focus on the bladder or other organs. In our calculations, we concentrated on the precision of localizing the prostate and on improvement potentials in treatment,” explained Karin Poljanc, Assistant Professor at the Atomic Institute of Austrian Universities.

compete article: Innovations Report

TomoTherapy to Enhance Remote Service and Diagnostics Capabilities

(Media-Newswire.com) - MADISON, Wis. – Oct. 1, 2008 – TomoTherapy Incorporated ( NASDAQ: TOMO ), maker of the Hi·Art® treatment system for advanced radiation therapy, today announced plans to enhance the remote service and diagnostics capabilities of its industry-leading customer support program.

In late 2008, TomoTherapy will pilot the Questra IDM ( Intelligent Device Management ) Application Suite, an auto-intelligent remote support solution from Questra Corporation. Phase I integration of this capability will provide TomoTherapy with the ability to remotely update Hi·Art system software and receive product performance information over a secure Internet connection to enhance overall user experience. In subsequent phases of implementation, the Questra-based solution is expected to offer Hi·Art users remote planning, plan review and quality assurance capabilities.

source: Media Newswire