Swedish oncology firm Elekta has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for the Monaco treatment planning system.
In intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), a linear particle accelerator sweeps a 1- to 2-cm-wide beam of radiation across the tumor from five to nine angles around the patient, one angle at a time.
In contrast, the VMAT method delivers radiation in a single 360° arc while the shape of the beam aperture continuously changes. Because the resulting beam apertures are much larger in VMAT than in IMRT, treatment time and patient exposure to radiation leakage from the accelerator are reduced, according to the Stockholm-based company.
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