Installation of First High-Field MRI-Guided Linear Accelerator Completed

A leading Imaging vendor, and a company creating clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders, has installed the first high-field (1.5 T) MRI-guided linear accelerator in a US hospital.

The accelerator, intended for nonclinical use, was installed at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, Texas, USA) and will begin operation in early 2016. The world’s first high-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-guided linear accelerator (MR linac) was installed at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC; Utrecht, Netherlands) 2014.

The accelerator, which was developed by Philips (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and Elekta (Stockholm, Sweden), can capture highly-detailed MR images during radiotherapy, showing tumors and surrounding healthy tissue. The images can help researchers adjust the delivery of treatments, the accuracy of therapies, and improve the outcome for patient treatments.

Stephen Hahn, MD, MD Anderson’s Radiation Oncology division, said, “The installation of the MR linac is going well and an example of the cooperation between MD Anderson, Elekta and Philips. We expect to have the first nonclinical beam in January 2016. The MD Anderson Division of Radiation Oncology is excited about the opportunities that the MR linac project is targeted to provide to our patients. The possibility of soft tissue imaging combined with advanced radiation delivery in a linac could allow us to provide improved value for our patients.

Related Links:
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
UMC Utrecht
Philips