Brainlab said it has introduced new radiation therapy treatment planning software at this week's American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) meeting in Austin, TX.
The Elements Automatic Brain Metastases Planning software is designed to simplify stereotactic radiosurgery planning for metastatic brain tumors, according to the company. The newest addition to the firm's Elements A La Carte software suite, the software is intended to overcome challenges presented by multiple brain metastases, which render treatment impractical because of greatly lengthened treatment times, Brainlab said. The company hopes to use the software to deliver more treatment options. It has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The planning software enables time-efficient treatment planning and delivery while reducing dose to healthy brain tissue, according to Niko Papanikolaou, PhD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center. It can greatly benefit patients who are receiving whole-brain radiation, especially those with larger tumor volumes and more metastases, he said.
The software automatically selects a group of metastases, with the multileaf collimator conforming to the targeted tumor shapes without leaving gaps, the company said. The algorithm executes an optimized volumetric-conformal radiosurgery plan in minutes after the metastases have been outlined, enabling the user to focus on reviewing and approving the plan from a variety of comprehensive views. The software creates an optimized dose distribution regardless of the number of metastases being treated.
Stereotactic radiosurgery has been critical for the treatment of brain metastases. But while whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) is still considered the standard of care, it can only prevent the development of new tumors for a maximum of six months, Brainlab said. The poor prognostic outlook has generated debate over the optimal course of treatment, with some maintaining that WBRT should be reserved for later treatment only, with more aggressive approaches used up front.
The new software allows the treatment of more metastases and greater tumor volumes with less cognitive impairment, the company said.
