New Radiotherapy System Begins Operation in Saudi Arabia

The King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has put into operation an advanced radiation therapy system for the treatment of cancer patients.

The system allows for faster and more accurate treatments for cancer patients, and is the first installation of its kind in the Middle East. The system currently uses Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT), but will also be used for Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT), and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) treatments. In VMAT treatments, radiation therapy is delivered in one or several uninterrupted arcs reducing the time required for treating patients compared to current step-and-shoot delivery systems.

The Versa HD Radiotherapy System, is made by Elekta (Stockholm, Sweden), a human care company that develops tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery, brachytherapy, and brain disorders, as well as workflow enhancement software for cancer care.

Prof. Yasir Bahadur, Vice Dean Faculty of Medicine, and Radiotherapy Unit Chairman at KAUH, said, "We had been looking for an advanced radiation therapy system that integrated well in our current department setup. We already have been using Elekta Synergy linear accelerator, Monaco treating planning, MOSAIQ and brachytherapy systems for some time. Versa HD fits in well and provides Agility beam-shaping for high-precision radiotherapy and High Dose Rate mode to reduce beam delivery time. Our initial experience with Versa HD has been promising. Saudi Arabia is using cutting-edge radiation therapy technology in the vast majority of the country's centers. In our opinion this trend will continue, so we anticipate that demand for advanced technology will increase. KAUH is not only a patient-centered organization, but an academic institution as well. Therefore, we are looking forward to acquiring technology that is beneficial for our patients, in addition to sustainable partnerships for educating and training our students and young professionals."

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