February 22 2010  |  News Article 

Istituto Europeo di Oncologia in Milan, Italy the first European hospital to treat breast cancer patients with AccuBoost 

VEENENDAAL, NETHERLANDS AND MILAN, ITALY - Nucletron and ART today announced the first European patient will be treated with AccuBoost at the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan, Italy. During a press conference today, the institute has presented AccuBoost to the world.

After having received CE certification in January of this year, the IEO is the first European institute to use the AccuBoost system clinically for the treatment of breast cancer. The revolutionary breast boost therapy system combines mammographic image guidance using non-invasive HDR brachytherapy to help pinpoint and treat the lumpectomy site and protect the patients' healthy organs. AccuBoost powered by Nucletron targets the beam of radiation directly at the tumor bed -and away from the chest- improving patient outcomes and significantly reducing the dose to the lungs and heart to less than 10% of the prescription dose.  

Using special mammography paddles, the breast is imaged in real time to locate the lumpectomy cavity and identify the size and position of the dosing applicators. Non-invasive HDR applicators are positioned on opposing sides of the breast to deliver a conformal radiation field directly to the target site, both in the cranio-caudal and medio-lateral positions. The dose accumulates in the target tissues where the horizontal and vertical treatments overlap, minimizing exposure to normal tissue.

About Brachytherapy
As the name suggests, internal radiotherapy, or brachytherapy, is a high-precision radiation therapy, in which the radiation source used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors is placed in or close to the tumor itself. This precision brachytherapy approach allows a physician to concentrate a high dose of radiation in a smaller area, with less damage to nearby, healthy body tissues and organs, over a shorter treatment period.

About Nucletron Nucletron is a knowledge-based leader in Radiation Oncology, working with clinical teams to realize innovative solutions that improve patient care. Nucletron strives to offer the best possible choice of radiation modalities through integrated products, software and services.  Critical to the Nucletron philosophy is the establishment of close working relationships with individual clinical teams – reconfiguring traditional boundaries between customer and solution provider.  Many Nucletron employees have clinical experience delivering oncology care, providing an in-depth understanding of the complex needs of clinicians.  For more information, visit http://www.nucletron.com/ . 

About ART

ART is a women’s health company dedicated to the advancement of partial breast irradiation with the goal of reducing the cancer recurrence rate and minimizing radiation related complications. ART’s AccuBoost system combines real-time, image-guidance with non-invasive, high-dose rate brachytherapy to deliver a focused dose to the lumpectomy site.  The AccuBoost technology is based on the premise that the best method to immobilize, image and target breast tissue is via mammography.  As such, AccuBoost gives the clinicians the comfort and confidence to “see what you treat and treat what you see” and significantly reduces the unintentional exposure to the patient’s heart and lungs.  For more information, visit http://www.accuboost.com/