VU University Medical Center (VUmc) in Amsterdam recently became the first to perform a linear accelerator-based MR image-guided radiotherapy session using on-table adaptation to correct for anatomical movements.

The medical center did this using ViewRay’s new MRIdian Linac, which received CE mark in September 2016 and FDA clearance in February 2017.

VUmc started treating patients with on-table adaptive MR-image guidance in May 2016 with the first-generation MRIdian system. They plan to upgrade that system to linac technology later this year.
"Having experienced firsthand the clinical benefits of real-time MR guidance and adaptive treatment delivery with our first MRIdian system, we felt a second was necessary in order to ensure that more patients can benefit from this more precise treatment,” Dr. Ben J. Slotman, professor and chairman of Radiation Oncology at VUmc, said in a statement.

Slotman and his team identified suitable patient groups in their initial studies of over 1,800 adaptive treatments. Now with a second system installed, he expects even more patients to benefit from this treatment modality.

During the procedure, the MRIdian system provides oncologists with diagnostic-quality MR visualization of the tumor and surrounding healthy tissue. ViewRay recently made enhancements to the technology that can potentially improve targeting precision and minimize radiation exposure to nearby organs.

Early last week, University Clinic Heidelberg in Germany also treated its first patient with MRIdian Linac MR image-guided radiotherapy.

In the U.S. market, the first two systems were installed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University in St. Louis.

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