Mobile System Delivers Electron Beam Radiation Therapy to Tumors

A mobile device has been designed that delivers intraoperative electron-beam radiation therapy (IOERT) to a tumor site during cancer surgery. The system enables radiation and surgical oncologists to pinpoint the optimal site for radiation and deliver an effective dose during surgery.

IntraOp Medical Corp. (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a provider of IOERT systems for the treatment and eradication of cancer, has received an order for a Mobetron from the Institut Jules Bordet [Bordet] in Brussels, Belgium.

Since the Mobetron is a mobile, self-shielded device, doctors will be able to move the Mobetron among different operating rooms, avoiding the high cost of outfitting multiple rooms with traditional linear accelerators. Bordet will deliver IOERT with the Mobetron as part of its comprehensive breast cancer treatment program.

IOERT is gaining popularity as a common radiation treatment in many parts of Europe, as recent published studies and data continue to show its effectiveness in fighting breast cancer. As a boost dose to a regular course of radiation treatment, IOERT has been shown to reduce cancer recurrence rates, while increasing expected patient survival. As a single dose, IOERT has been shown to be equivalent to the traditional regimen of radiation, thereby eliminating the need for six weeks of postoperative radiation treatment. This benefits the patient by reducing overall treatment time and increasing quality of life.

This marks the second Mobetron installation in Belgium. Currently, the Mobetron is in use at Antwerp's St. Augustinius Hospital, where oncologists use the machine primarily for breast treatments. IntraOp believes that Belgium is an increasingly important market, because of stronger breast IOERT reimbursements and the medical system support for the purchase of linear accelerators for radiation treatments.

IntraOp CEO John Powers added, "I am very pleased to see the Mobetron and IOERT gaining traction in Belgium. This has become an increasingly important market for us, given its reimbursement and acceptance of the strong clinical data for the breast IOERT treatment. Our customers in Belgium like the fact that treating with IOERT has benefits for everyone, by reducing the risk of recurrence, reducing the duration of radiation therapy for the patient, and increasing capacity of their existing conventional linear accelerators. The hospital, the patient and the government all benefit from the addition of the Mobetron.”

IntraOp Medical's flagship product, the Mobetron, is the first fully portable, self-shielding intraoperative electron radiation therapy device designed for use in any operating room. Key Mobetron benefits include: increased survival rates, better local tumor control, shorter treatment cycles, and fewer side effects. Leading hospitals, from university research centers to specialized cancer clinics in North America, Europe, and Asia, use the Mobetron as a key part of their comprehensive cancer program.

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