Philips unveils patient-centric advanced radiation oncology imaging and treatment planning innovations at ASTRO 2016

Integrated imaging, simulation, planning and therapy solutions are designed to deliver more efficient and personalized cancer care that is proven, powerful and precise

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG AEX: PHIA) today announced its latest integrated imaging and treatment planning solutions for radiation oncology that will be featured at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's (ASTRO) 58th Annual Meeting in Boston. Designed to fit the unique needs of radiation oncology clinicians and patients, these solutions have been developed to put more control in the hands of the clinician, with the intent to improve workflow and operational efficiencies, drive procedure accuracy and ultimately improve care.

Over the past few years, cancer care has evolved to deliver more advanced treatments and technologies that do not always integrate seamlessly. For example, the treatment plan plays a big role in determining the quality of the treatment itself. For most patients, this means waiting for a week or more after their simulation scan to start their treatment, which can lead to increased anxiety. According to the National Cancer Institute, in many cases, this not only affects a patient's ability to cope with treatment, but also impacts their quality of life. As technology and treatments for cancer advance, the patient experience remains first and foremost. 

"As radiotherapy continues to evolve, our focus needs to remain on quality and timeliness, which can be eroded by the standard work process," said Rob Cascella, CEO, Diagnosis and Treatment, Philips. "To address these issues, Philips' radiation oncology solutions use intelligent automation to simplify workflow and enhance consistency from imaging through treatment planning so clinicians can be confident in consistently delivering the best possible care with a patient-centric approach."

The Philips booth (#7039) at ASTRO 2016 will showcase the company's advanced solutions enhancing its integrated radiation oncology approach with a full suite to help clinicians deliver quality cancer care to improve both the patient and staff experience including the following:

• CT Big Bore v4.2 with Tumor LOC and iPatient Platform – A trusted CT simulation solution designed for every cancer patient, delivering accuracy, reliability and an efficient workflow to drive clinical confidence in cancer treatment. Now integrated with both Philips' Tumor LOC technology and iPatient Platform, Big Bore offers more powerful simulation and advanced marking tools to help speed time to treatment. 
  
  
  • Powered by Pinnacle³, TumorLOC integrates scanning and planning to simplify and accelerate patient marking and CT simulation at the scanner console.
    
    
  • Philips' iPatient platform provides consistent image quality from scan-to-scan through patient-centered workflows for both routine and advanced 4D imaging applications, making patient setup fast and easy.
    
• Ingenia MR-RT - a dedicated MR simulation platform providing clinicians with high quality MR images acquired in the treatment position to help visualize targets and critical structures, allowing them to design the best possible treatment plans. The recently 510(k) cleared MR-only simulation for prostate treatment planning is a continuation of Philips's commitment of making MR more accessible to radiation oncology by simplifying workflows. 
  
  Philips aims to further streamline the often repetitive and time-consuming process from imaging to treatment planning with intelligent workflow automation with the goal to further speed time to treatment and to enhance consistency.  At ASTRO, Philips will showcase developments in intelligent workflow automation, such as automated contouring on MR-only based datasets¹.
  ¹ Work in Progress
  
• Pinnacle³  - A leader in radiation treatment planning with fast, accurate and interactive treatment planning tools. Now with a new intuitive user interface, Pinnacle³ offers seamless integration that enhances planning efficiency and quality while making plan workflow faster and less iterative. Pinnacle³ intelligent automation simplifies and accelerates the IMRT and VMAT planning process. Smart automation tools enable the user to create plans with limited clinician intervention while reducing the dose variability of manual planning workflows.

For more information about Philips' presence at ASTRO, including the full suite of Philips radiation oncology technology and integrated solutions, please visit Philips' ASTRO event website, and follow @PhilipsLiveFrom for more information on Philips' presence at #ASTRO16.