Capital Budgets for Radiation Therapy Equipment Up with Adoption of State-of-the-Art Radiation Treatment Techniques.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

DES PLAINES, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2004

According to a recent study published by IMV Medical Information Division, radiation oncology sites are rapidly adopting new therapeutic techniques and the related equipment and consumables that facilitate them. "IMV's fifth census of radiation oncology facilities in the US shows that intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is now provided by 38% of the sites, up from 4% in 1998," observed Lorna Young, Senior Director, Market Research at IMV. "We monitor the adoption rates of other techniques including inverse planning, 3D treatment planning, conformal radiotherapy, intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), stereotactic radiosurgery and prostate seed therapy."

In addition to their adoption of clinical techniques, sites are increasing usage of electronic networks to send and receive digital images, such as CT and MRI, used in treatment planning. While in 1998 24% of the radiation oncology sites used electronic networks, 62% of the sites now use networks for sharing images used in treatment planning, surpassing the use of x-ray film.

Concurrent with this continued innovation, capital budgets for radiation therapy equipment are increasing, with the average 2004 capital equipment budget estimated at $980,000, up 34% from 2003 budgets. Moreover, sites having budgets of $1.5 million or more have increased from 9% in 1996 to 18% of sites with 2004 budgets.

The 2003 edition of the Radiation Oncology Census Database profiles 1,642 sites, comprising over 80% of the 2,009 identified facilities performing external beam radiation therapy in the U.S. The database can be licensed by qualified subscribers and includes site-specific information such as equipment utilization by manufacturer, radioactive agent utilization by type, prostate seed utilization by supplier and planned purchases. Equipment types covered include linear accelerators, simulators, treatment planning systems, record and verify / information management systems, remote afterloader brachytherapy and dedicated radiosurgery. Applications of the database include market analysis, target marketing and lead generation.

IMV's 2003 Radiation Oncology Market Summary Report is available with the database license or separately. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the radiation oncology market, and compares nationwide trends with the four prior census surveys that IMV has conducted since 1996, including vendor market share trends by technology type. For more information about the Radiation Oncology Census Database and Market Summary Report, visit IMV's website at www.imvlimited.com or call 847-297-1404 to speak with a representative.

IMV Medical Information Division, Inc. is a marketing research and consulting firm founded in 1977 specializing in medical imaging and other advanced healthcare technology markets. IMV's proprietary marketing consulting services, in combination with its census databases of 80% of all U.S. imaging sites with selected modalities, provide vendors valuable assistance in strategic planning, customer satisfaction, product development and sales initiatives. Current census databases include interventional angiography, radiographic fluoroscopy, cardiac catheterization, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, echocardiography, PET, radiation oncology and RIS/PACS.