Nucletron, an Elekta Company, Introduces Esteya, Electronic Brachytherapy for Treating Skin Cancer

ATLANTA, Sept. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nucletron, an Elekta company, and the world leader in brachytherapy, has launched Esteya^®, a new approach for treating patients with skin cancer.

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Over the last 30 years, more people were diagnosed with skin cancer worldwide than all other cancers combined, making it the most common type of cancer[1]. This represents a challenge for health care providers in the years to come. With a cure rate of more than 95 percent[2], electronic brachytherapy offers a refined treatment modality with excellent cosmesis.

Making high precision skin cancer treatment accessible
Esteya electronic brachytherapy mimics proven high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy by bringing a small X-ray source very close to the cancerous site, enabling the local application of radiation for effective treatment. Esteya requires only minimal room shielding, allowing the treatment to occur virtually anywhere patients are seen.

"The highly efficient workflow and easy patient set-up of Esteya make skin cancer treatment extremely easy to plan and deliver," says John Lapre, Executive Vice President, Elekta Brachytherapy. "The high dose rate enables delivery of the treatment fraction in less than three minutes. With Esteya, radiation oncologists have access to a safe and patient-friendly treatment that offers a great opportunity to expand radiation therapy services for skin cancer patients."

Boca Raton Regional Hospital among first U.S. installations
One of the first installations of Esteya in the United States is scheduled to occur in November 2013. Michael Kasper, MD, a radiation oncologist at Boca Raton Regional Hospital's Lynn Cancer Institute, says implementation of Esteya at a satellite clinic of the hospital will help bring HDR brachytherapy to more patients.

"Accessibility is the main advantage," he observes. "Esteya has a compact design and reduced shielding requirements, which will enable us to move it throughout the clinic. We'll be able to offer the HDR brachytherapy option to more people. Electronic brachytherapy also offers short treatment times and convenient and effective dosing."

For more information, visit www.Esteya.com.

510(k) submitted. Esteya is not available for sale or distribution in all markets.

For further information, please contact:
Johan Andersson, Director, Investor Relations, Elekta AB
Tel: +46 702 100 451, email: johan.andersson@elekta.com  
Time zone: CET: Central European Time

Michelle Joiner, Director, Global Public Relations and Brand Management, Elekta
Tel: +1 770-670-2447, email: michelle.joiner@elekta.com
Time zone: ET: Eastern Time

About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives.

Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 6,000 hospitals worldwide. Elekta employs around 3,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. Website: www.elekta.com.

[1] Stern RS. Prevalence of a history of skin cancer in 2007: results of an incidence-based model. Arch Dermatol. 2010 Mar;146(3):279-82

[2] Bhatnagar A. Nonmelanoma skin cancer treated with electronic brachytherapy: results at 1 year. Brachytherapy. 2013 Mar-Apr;12(2):134-40.

SOURCE Elekta