GE Healthcare at ASTRO 2011 GE Healthcare showcased today a number of new tools designed specifically for the needs of radiation oncologists at the 53rd Annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida, taking place from Oct. 2-6, 2011. Courtesy of GE Healthcare

Miami Beach, Florida, USA – October 3, 2011

A key global healthcare challenge is the dramatic increase in cancer incidence.

According to World Health Organization data, cancer rates could increase by 50 percent, leading to 15 million new cases in 2020.

Oncology specialists connect and interact with each other throughout the cancer care continuum, all with the goal of providing the best possible care for their patients.

GE Healthcare, the health business of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), showcased today a number of new tools designed specifically for the needs of radiation oncologists at the 53rd Annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Meeting in Miami Beach, Florida, taking place from Oct. 2-6, 2011.

GE Healthcare at ASTRO 2011 GE Healthcare is seen as a leader in diagnostic imaging for the detection of cancer and as a leading provider of technologies for cancer research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. In recent years, the company has significantly expanded its presence in the oncology arena through strategic acquisitions, including Amersham plc. (2004), Biacore International AB (2006), Wave Biotech LLC (2007), MicroCal LLC (2008), Clarient (2010) and Applied Precision (2011) and a joint venture Omnyx (2009). A recognized pioneer of oncology invention for over 50 years, GE Healthcare continues to research and develop industry-defining technologies.   Courtesy of GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare offers a wide portfolio for oncology and a strategy that combines cellular research, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, and information technology.

These innovative technologies help the oncology community increase their understanding of the causes and progression of cancer and help physicians make more personalized cancer treatment and management decisions.

GE Healthcare at ASTRO 2011 Introducing Discovery CT590 RT. Courtesy of GE Healthcare

“Cancer affects us all. Oncology care is about making connections,” said Paul Anderson, General Manager of Oncology for GE Healthcare.
“In oncology it’s about making the connection between the disease, the treatment, the patients and the multidisciplinary clinical team. GE Healthcare continually breaks new ground, partnering with hospitals and physicians to better manage patients’ needs throughout the cancer journey.”

Recently, GE launched a global healthymagination commitment to deliver better care to 10 million patients by 2020 through $1 billion in dedicated R&D investment aimed at accelerating cancer treatment progress through innovation.

MD Connect workflow

Recent advances in oncology imaging and targeted therapies have made it possible to treat cancer more effectively.

More precise and targeted treatment, coupled with earlier detection, has led to a remarkable improvement in five-year, disease-free survival rates for cancer patients.

Yet, these new technologies generate more sophisticated and detailed information that is used throughout the care cycle.

For caregivers and clinicians, this translates to a more complex workflow for processing, connecting, and collaborating across the continuum of oncology care.

Paul Anderson, General Manager of Oncology for GE Healthcare, at ASTRO 2011: “Cancer affects us all. Oncology care is about making connections. In oncology it’s about making the connection between the disease, the treatment, the patients and the multidisciplinary clinical team. GE Healthcare continually breaks new ground, partnering with hospitals and physicians to better manage patients’ needs throughout the cancer journey.” Courtesy of GE Healthcare

“Complex treatments are placing an increased demand on imaging,” added Anderson.
“MD Connect offers to greatly improve productivity and collaboration by connecting the radiation oncology staff and the whole multidisciplinary care team with the information and applications they need - anywhere at any time.”

MD Connect is a new, innovative thin client solution designed for oncology that addresses the need for seamless workflow.

MD Connect provides fast access to a complete portfolio of applications - via virtually any networked computer.

These applications include sophisticated tools for virtual simulation, 3D image fusion, 4D motion management, as well as tools to stage and monitor treatment effectiveness, and more.

All these tools are designed to transform the complex into routine and the routine into more efficient.

MD Connect also integrates with the EclipseTM treatment planning platform from Varian Medical Systems, all on one desktop, as well as other DICOM based treatment planning platforms.

Compliant with the IHE-RO standard, MD Connect interoperates across a multitude of different oncology systems and manufacturers.

New wide-bore Radiotherapy (RT) Simulation CT systems

GE’s new wide bore RT portfolio - including the Discovery CT590 RT and Optima CT580 RT - is dedicated to meeting both current and future oncology demands for accuracy, enhanced visualization, complex patient positioning and monitoring with productive workflow.

These cutting-edge CT systems are designed specifically with treatment planning in mind and help physicians address increasingly specialized imaging needs.

The outer edges of the Discovery MR750w are designed to convey the feeling of being in safe hands. Courtesy of GE Healthcare

“This new RT platform represents yet another step toward more patient-centered, user-friendly medical imaging for oncology,” said Swami Narasimhan, General Manager, CT Oncology.
“Designed to offer enhancements in precision and workflow while delivering accurate image detail, these systems are ultimately about helping physicians deliver high quality cancer treatment across the entire therapy process.”

Built from the ground up and flexible in a variety of radiation oncology settings, the new RT systems are powered by the latest in GE CT technology.

For example, the Discovery CT590 RT offers an automated 4D video organ motion recording feature which captures organ movement to better adapt future radiation therapy treatments.

GE Healthcare’s award-winning Vscan handheld ultrasound device. Courtesy of GE Healthcare

“As new treatment technologies emerge in RT, there is an increasing need for intuitive imaging systems supported by robust clinical applications and reliable service,” said Randy Hemingway, Administrative Director of Radiation Oncology at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.
“Our new Discovery CT590 RT with Advantage 4D and Advantage SimMD offers just such benefits - helping us improve workflow with accuracy as we seek optimal clinical outcomes that best meet our patients’ needs.”

Pinpointing Radiation Therapy with the precision of premium wide bore MR

GE Healthcare’s premium MR systems deliver the high spatial integrity required for radiation oncology with an expansive 50 cm field of view that accommodates imaging out to the edge of the skin.

Built on a fully redesigned wide-bore MR platform, these systems feature advanced applications for rapid acquisition of high-resolution isotropic MR images, dynamic contrast enhanced imaging and advanced workflow, to help physicians to characterize disease, plan treatment options, target tumors, preserve healthy tissue and assess response to therapy.

Radiologists, there is an iPhone app for you too! Courtesy of GE Healthcare

Integrated with the MR Radiation Oncology Suite and GEM Suite of coils, GE’s wide-bore MR solution for radiation therapy allows MR imaging in the treatment position for prostate, brain/head & neck and gynecological tumors and provides full interoperability with industry-leading fusion and treatment simulation software programs.

Radiologists, there is an iPhone app for you too! Courtesy of GE Healthcare

“Our goal in MR radiation oncology is to help clinicians target and treat patients’ cancer without harming the healthy tissue surrounding it,” said Sandra Shave, MR Oncology Product Manager at GE Healthcare.
“While there are many options, only MR can provide excellent soft tissue contrast, functional, metabolic and dynamic imaging, all with no radiation, and we have a fully customizable and comprehensive MR radiation oncology solution designed to take advantage of the latest MR technologies.”

New GEM Express patient table and posterior array

The new GEM Express patient table is a mobile patient transport with an embedded high-density, posterior RF coil array.

The integrated posterior array, with uniquely sized elements, helps optimize prostate image quality.

It enables clinicians to image the patient in the treatment position, without compromising image quality.

It also supports both head-first and feet-first imaging for all anatomies and can help eliminate the need to reposition patients within an exam, as well as the need for coil exchanges.

Come visit the GE Healthcare booth (#2112) at ASTRO 2011, the most attended oncology forum worldwide, held this year in Miami Beach, Florida from October 2-6, 2011.


About GE Healthcare


GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care.

Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost.

In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Courtesy of GE Healthcare

Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world.

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE).

Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries.

For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at

www.gehealthcare.com  

For our latest news, please visit

http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com  


Press contact

Allison J. Cohen
Global Public Relations Manager, Oncology
GE Healthcare
+972 547 299 742
allison.cohen@ge.com  


Source: General Electric Company

http://www.genewscenter.com/content/default.aspx?newsareaid=2  



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