IBT (D) : Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG has entered the Spanish afterloader market

Seneffe, Belgium, 21 June 2012. Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG has installed the first MultiSource® afterloader in Spain. The device, installed on June 11, 2012 in the Hospital Ramón y Cajal in Madrid, is the first afterloader with Co-60 source in Spain and one of the first in Europe.

The Hospital Ramón y Cajal chose the MultiSource® system because of its unique features: The Co-60 source, offered exclusively by Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG, constitutes - due to its long half-life of five years - a very cost-effective solution for the clinic. Furthermore, the Prostate Module integrated in the treatment planning system, HDRplusTM 3.0, enables the clinic to treat prostate tumors with HDR in real time, improving considerably the quality of the treatment. The built-in In-Vivo Dosimetry System inside of the MultiSource® afterloader allows the organs at risk to be controlled when treating the patient, saves space and facilitates handling.

"The MultiSource® afterloader completes the therapeutic line of our radiotherapy department, which allows us to treat cancer patients comprehensively with all brachytherapy techniques in one unit. Moreover, the combination of brachytherapy and external radiotherapy represents for us a cost-efficient alternative to other expensive treatments in selected body sites," said Dr. Alfredo Polo, the Chairman of Brachytherapy and Intra-Operative Radiotherapy Unit of the Hospital Ramón y Cajal and the Chairman of the Brachytherapy Working Group in SEOR (Sociedad Española de Oncología Radioterápica). "Brachytherapy complements other therapies and every radiotherapy department should be able to offer it. Especially in times of economic crisis brachytherapy proves to be a cost-effective treatment option with positive effects for the Health Care System."

In addition to the MultiSource® installation, the Hospital Ramón y Cajal and Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG have reached an agreement about close cooperation on common research and development projects, such as developing new HDR applicators. Moreover, the clinic will become a reference site for brachytherapy specialists from all over the world (especially from Europe, Latin America and other emerging markets). "With its profound expertise and modern equipment, Ramón y Cajal is a perfect partner for us and a great training site for all brachytherapy users. We are very pleased to have placed our first afterloader in Spain in a hospital with such a good reputation. We look forward to strengthening our very successful cooperation," said Abel Luzuriaga, Managing Director of Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG.

The Oncology Radiotherapy Department in Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, lead by Dr. Alfredo Ramos, one of the most acknowledged radiation oncologists in Spain and current president of SEOR, (Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology) has more than 20 years' experience in brachytherapy. The medical team consisting of ten doctors and five medical physicists treat about 500 patients per year with different forms of brachytherapy: High Dose Rate (approx. 300 patients), Low Dow Rate (approx. 100 patients) and Pulse Dose Rate (approx. 75 patients). The university hospital offers a wide variety of brachytherapy treatments including gynecological, breast and prostate cancer, as well as head and neck tumours, soft tissue sarcoma and pediatrics. The clinic also plans to treat all body sites with the miniaturised Co-60 source included in the MultiSource® afterloader.

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