Elekta Unity-MR Linac Shown to Comprehensively Manage Motion, Reduce Treatment Margins

Elekta Unity MR-Linac clinical users presented several abstracts at the 2023 American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting (ASTRO) highlighting how the high-field system with its online plan adaptation and Comprehensive Motion Management (CMM) have changed the way they treat patients.

“This was our first week treating patients with the CMM upgrade with Elekta Unity and I am impressed,” says Daniel Hyer, PhD, Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Iowa Health Care. “On a pelvic node, the system gated the beam during unexpected patient motion. On another patient, we were able to perfectly track a target next to the heart despite cardiac and respiratory motion. I fully expect that we will begin treating the majority of our lung cases on the Unity system.”

Similarly, Professor Filippo Alongi, Full Professor and Chairman of the Advanced Radiation Oncology department at the IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria in Negrar, Italy, explained how he was able to shrink planning target volume margins on a liver tumor without the need for fiducials or difficult to tolerate breath hold.

“With Unity and CMM we will be able to radically change the approach for patients; now we can be precise in a way that was not possible before. With the high-quality imaging and the possibility to interrupt the beam when the target is outside the boundaries, we can eliminate uncertainties of movement allowing us to treat more indications with MRgRT, reduce margins and increase dose. We’re deeply impressed by the innovation of Comprehensive Motion Management and what it will mean for patients,” says Prof Alongi.

Dr John Christodouleas, SVP of Medical Affairs & Clinical Research at Elekta, also highlighted two additional Elekta Unity abstracts that demonstrate:

• How margins for the treatment of rectal cancer were reduced by a third using Elekta Unity compared to conventional radiotherapy techniques. Rectal treatments captured in the international MOMENTUM registry showed that patients experienced stabilized or improved quality of life over 12 months of follow up.
• How MR-guided SABR to pancreatic oligometastases from renal cell carcinoma is a safe and effective treatment option. In addition, MR-guided SABR may facilitate deferral of systemic therapy initiation in this select group of patients with favorable prognosis.