CLEVELAND, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading
oncology experts from around the world met to discuss the
integration of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with radiation
therapy and its potential to extend life expectancy and reduce
common side effects in many cancer patients. ViewRay, Inc. (NASDAQ:
VRAY), maker of MRIdian®, the world's first and only
FDA-cleared, MRI-guided radiation therapy system, and Miami Cancer
Institute, co-hosted experts from research hospitals at the
cutting-edge of cancer treatment at the September 28 symposium and panel discussion.
Presenters and panel participants included Minesh Mehta, M.D., chief of radiation oncology,
and Michael Chuong, M.D., director
of radiation oncology clinical research and education, at Miami
Cancer Institute, a part of Baptist Health South Florida,
Michael Bassetti, M.D., Ph.D.,
assistant professor of radiation oncology at University of Wisconsin, Carbone Cancer Center and
Raymond Wynn, M.D., FACR, professor
and vice chair of network operations in the department
of radiation oncology at Loyola
University Medical Center.
"Seldom do we see this much excitement around a technology,"
Mehta said. "For the first time, we're able to see high-contrast
soft tissue images that clearly delineate tumors from the
surrounding healthy organs. This allows us to deliver radiation
more precisely, and in some cases, may even allow us to increase
the radiation dose to more aggressively fight the cancer."
"MRIdian has taken much of the guesswork out of radiation
therapy. Its visualization and adaptive abilities are of benefit in
treating many types of cancer, but they are especially vital when
treating tumors that move significantly during treatment, such as
tumors in the lung or liver. We can now watch the changes within
the body in real-time and respond accordingly," Chuong said. "This
leads to more accurate treatment of the tumor and minimizes
irradiation of nearby normal tissues, potentially reducing the side
effects."
"This technology is a true game-changer, and we are honored to
be the first center in Illinois
and first community practice nationwide to offer it to our
patients," Wynn said. "MRI-guided radiation therapy enables us to
deliver more accurate and effective radiation doses, in fewer
sessions, while sparing healthy tissue. This now makes what was
science-fiction a science-reality."
"Seeing the tumor and surrounding healthy tissues and organs in
great detail allows us to adapt the treatment in order to improve
dosing and accuracy," Bassetti said. "Early results in pancreatic
cancer suggest that the ability to deliver higher radiation doses
with adaptive MRI-guided radiation therapy may improve patient
survival while maintaining low toxicity. We look forward to further
investigating these promising outcomes."
ViewRay has announced the launch of a multi-center prospective
clinical trial in pancreatic cancer to investigate the robustness
of encouraging early data in patients treated with MRI-guided
radiation therapy. The study aims to track patient survival and
quality of life over a 5-year period. The trial is expected to open
enrollment in the coming weeks.
ViewRay's MRIdian system has been installed at more than 15
leading research hospitals around the world, where it is being used
to treat a wide variety of solid tumors and is the focus of
numerous ongoing clinical trials. It has been recognized and
studied in more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and hundreds of
scientific meeting abstracts and presentations. More than 3,000
patients have been treated with MRIdian. For a list of treatment
centers, please visit: https://viewray.com/mridian-locator.
About Miami Cancer Institute
Miami Cancer Institute is
a next-generation cancer treatment destination known for its
leading clinical care and research, compassionate patient
experience and state-of-the-art technology – including the first
proton therapy center in South
Florida, Latin America and
the Caribbean, and the only
radiation oncology program in the world with each of the latest
radiation therapies in one place. The Institute offers an
impressive roster of established community oncologists and renowned
cancer experts, clinical researchers and genomic scientists
recruited from the nation's top cancer centers. As Florida's only member of the Memorial Sloan
Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, Miami Cancer Institute is part of
a deep and functional collaboration that affords patients access to
innovative treatments right here at home and ensures that the
standards of care developed by our multidisciplinary disease
management teams match those at MSK. Heralded nationally as one of
the "hybrid" cancer centers of the future, Miami Cancer Institute
combines high-quality community-based cancer care with the best of
an academic cancer center, including innovative clinical trials
tied to research and genomics and disease-specific surgeons,
medical oncologists and radiation oncologists who are experts in
their fields. For more information,
visit MiamiCancerInstitute.com.
About ViewRay® and MRIdian®
ViewRay, Inc.
(NASDAQ: VRAY) designs, manufactures and markets the MRIdian®
radiation therapy system. MRIdian is built upon a proprietary
high-definition MR imaging system designed from the ground up to
address the unique challenges and clinical workflow for advanced
radiation oncology. Unlike MR systems used in diagnostic radiology,
MRIdian's high-definition MR was purpose built to address specific
challenges, including beam distortion, skin toxicity and other
concerns that potentially may arise when high magnetic fields
interact with radiation beams. ViewRay and MRIdian are registered
trademarks of ViewRay, Inc.
This press release contains forward-looking statements.
Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are
forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks
and uncertainties that could cause future results to differ
materially from those referenced. Forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to the ability of health care centers
to implement efficient and effective MRI-guided radiation therapy
programs and that these programs will provide clinically
significant benefits such as: timely and useful visualization and
treatment adaptation; higher, more effective dosing; improved tumor
targeting precision; minimized toxicities; improved survival; and
potentially reduced side effects. Given these uncertainties, the
reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on any
forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors include, among
others, the ability to raise the additional funding needed to
continue to pursue ViewRay's business and product development
plans, the inherent uncertainties associated with developing new
products or technologies, competition in the industry in which
ViewRay operates, government and regulatory uncertainty, including
but not limited to obtaining authorizations to market and new
tariffs and trade restrictions, and overall market conditions.
These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this
press release, and ViewRay assumes no obligation to update the
forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual
results differ from those projected in the forward-looking
statements, except as required by law. Investors should consult all
of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the
risk factor disclosure set forth in the reports and other documents
ViewRay files with the SEC available at www.sec.gov.
ViewRay and MRIdian are registered trademarks owned by
ViewRay, Inc.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mri-guided-radiation-therapy-aims-to-prolong-survival-and-reduce-complications-for-the-most-challenging-cancers-300721940.html
SOURCE ViewRay, Inc.