Siemens to Showcase Image-Guided Radiotherapy and Integration Solutions for Cancer Care At Boston's Astro 2000 Show.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

42nd Annual ASTRO Conference

Booth No. 1504

CONCORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2000

Siemens Oncology Care Systems Group will highlight evolving radiation treatment technologies and clinical innovations developed by Siemens in association with major medical research collaborators at the 42nd annual ASTRO, (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology) meeting to be held at the John B. Hynes Memorial Convention Center in Boston from Oct. 22-26.

Advancements in image guided radiation therapy as well as productivity software that speeds the radiation delivery process will be among the featured new solutions for cancer care.

The Siemens booth No. 1504 will be showcasing an IMRT ToolKit that can quickly launch cancer clinics into the capability of delivering Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), which is an advanced cancer treatment technique that allows the delivery of complex dose distributions to tumors while minimizing radiation on healthy tissue.

Also featured will be an advanced imaging tool, BEAMVIEW(R) Portal Imaging Device for radiation therapy. BEAMVIEW improves the quality and reliability of patient treatments by providing automatic imaging, accurate positioning verification, send and receive functions, and an email feature. Advanced image-processing techniques give a virtually instant image display.

Booth demonstrations will show how the new SIMTEC(tm) IMRT Delivery System with IM-MAXX(tm) Technology speeds the dynamic control of IMRT treatment delivery to substantially increase productivity for radiation therapy. SIMTEC is an innovative and patented technology that accurately delivers segmental treatment to a target volume. The operator can constantly monitor and track every field being delivered without walking into and out of the treatment room.

Siemens, with its multi-modality offerings, is in a unique position to offer the complete solution for radiation therapy. To illustrate this capability, the Siemens ASTRO booth will include a model of the new PRIMATOM(tm) System for image guided radiation therapy that was recently unveiled at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Siemens is the first oncology company to introduce a method of localizing a target immediately prior to treatment. This new process has shown evidence of reducing complications. The PRIMATOM System consists of a Siemens CT scanner on a sliding gantry combined with a PRIMUS(R) Linear Accelerator.

Another featured product is the MOBETRON(tm) Mobile Intraoperative Radiation Treatment System (IORT) -- a self-shielded, mobile electron beam accelerator designed to be rolled into operating rooms where patients can receive direct application of radiation during surgery.

Demonstrations of the LANTIS(R) Oncology Management System will show how this electronic information system is designed to enhance productivity by streamlining the processes of plan communication, simulation, setup, verification, and recording of treatments.

Siemens Oncology Care Systems Group manufactures and develops a wide range of radiation therapy products for the worldwide oncology market. The latest innovations in Siemens cancer-fighting equipment are demonstrated in the state-of-the-art showroom at their world headquarters in Concord, Calif. The Web site address is www.sms.siemens.com/ocsg. The company is part of Siemens Medical Engineering Group, Erlangen, Germany, one of the largest suppliers of healthcare services in the world. The Medical Engineering Group employs 19,000 worldwide and reported fiscal year-end sales of $5 billion. In the U.S., the Oncology Care Systems Group is part of Siemens Medical Systems Inc. Iselin, N.J., which employs nearly 4,500 people in the U.S. and reported annual sales of approximately $1.8 billion.