Duke University Medical Center Optimizes Radiation Treatment Targeting and Efficiency With Calypso® 4D Localization System™

Duke University Medical Center is the First in the Country to Install a Calypso System with the Adaptive Workflow Efficiency Release to Improve Treatment for Cancer Patients

SEATTLE—Jan. 22, 2009—Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. (www.calypsomedical.com) announced today that Duke University Medical Center is the first in the country to install a Calypso® 4D Localization System™ with the just-released Adaptive Workflow Efficiency option to optimize radiation treatment for their cancer patients. The upgradeable system option includes Adaptive Couch Repositioning™ which provides connectivity between the Calypso System and Varian Medical Systems’ 4D integrated treatment console (4DITC), to allow an immediate, on-line response to organ motion.

Known as GPS for the Body®, the Calypso System utilizes implanted Beacon® transponders to setup and continuously track the position of targeted tissue during radiation treatment. When the tumor site moves outside of acceptable limits, the clinician can immediately adapt therapy to ensure treatment is delivered as prescribed to the cancerous tissue while avoiding adjacent healthy organs.

“Using the Adaptive Couch Repositioning feature on the Calypso System, we are able to ensure that our patients are optimally positioned for treatment without entering the room,” said W. Robert Lee, M.D., professor of radiation oncology at Duke University Medical Center. “When the System detects significant organ motion, it realigns the patient in a matter of seconds, ensuring that radiation therapy is focused on the tumor, avoiding healthy surrounding tissue. This optimizes treatment by ensuring patients are in the correct position throughout their radiation treatment.”

The Adaptive Workflow Efficiency release contains a suite of online and offline motion management solutions, allowing clinicians to optimize treatment while maintaining efficient patient throughput. Online solutions include Data Import™, enabling electronic data transfer from treatment planning to the Calypso System, and the new Adaptive Couch Repositioning option, enabling motion management from outside the treatment room. When the tumor site moves away from isocenter during radiation treatment, radiation therapists can now reposition the patient directly from the linac control area, which dramatically improves efficiency and expedites treatment time. Offline motion management solutions Beam On™ and Trend Reports™ provide a quick assessment of tumor motion over multiple fractions, allowing clinicians to optimize a patient’s treatment based on their individual motion profile.

“Leading medical centers, like Duke University Medical Center, are adopting the Calypso System to ensure safe and accurate delivery of radiation. In addition to improving the accuracy of treatment, the Calypso System has been shown to streamline workflow in their already busy facilities,” said Ed Vertatschitsch, senior vice president of operations at Calypso Medical. “Calypso Medical is proud to partner with Duke University Medical Center to offer our latest adaptive motion management solutions designed to enhance patient care and improve workflow efficiency.”

The Calypso System with the Adaptive Workflow Efficiency release is compatible with 3D conformal radiation therapy, conventional intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy.