The University of North Carolina is replacing its PLUNC system, developed in-house and in use since 1985, with the RayStation® radiation therapy treatment planning system.
The University of North Carolina (UNC) recently utilized RayStation® for the first time to treat patients. Following this, two other satellite facilities have initiated commissioning of their machines for RayStation®, with the fourth set to begin soon. The selection process for a new treatment planning system (TPS) was an intense and scientific effort, with much of the UNC staff involved in performing test plans to fully assess competing systems. The project was led by Dr. Shiva Das, recently arrived at UNC from the Duke Cancer Center in Durham, North Carolina.
“As our sole treatment planning system, PLUNC served the center well for several decades. With programmers employed by UNC, we had the opportunity to customize the software to fit our workflow and planning needs,” said Dr. Das, Chief Medical Physicist at UNC. “However, we also saw the future of treatment planning placing more demands on the TPS. In order to continue to provide the highest level of care to our patients, we knew we needed to team up with a partner that was forward-thinking and had more resources. We are very confident that RaySearch Laboratories is that partner.”
The main campus was the first to clinically use RayStation®, followed closely by other hospitals in the UNC network: Rex Healthcare and affiliates in Raleigh, North Carolina, McCreary Cancer Center in Lenoir, North Carolina, and High Point Regional Hospital in High Point, North Carolina. High Point Regional Hospital is next to go live using RayStation®, with the other facilities to follow. “Implementing a new TPS requires full buy-in along with an enthusiastic and dedicated team, which UNC has. RayStation® brings a wider variety of planning techniques for our patients and new tools for our dosimetry staff to efficiently create the most advanced and customized plans,” concludes Dr. Das.
“The University of North Carolina is a model for what can be achieved when people from multiple organizations, in a large-scale setting, come together and work toward a common goal. Dr. Das and his team bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table that can support future development of RayStation®,” says Marc Mlyn, President of RaySearch Americas, Inc. “We are thrilled to have UNC as a partner to advance cancer treatment moving forward,” he concludes.
“We are extremely proud of the trust placed in RaySearch by the University of North Carolina. It is a major step for such an important multi-site center to replace an in-house system in use for more than 30 years, but we will make sure that is a decision they will not regret,” says Johan Löf, CEO of RaySearch Laboratories AB.
About The University of North Carolina
UNC’s healthcare motto is “Leading, Teaching, Caring”. The university has a longstanding and strong tradition of leadership and innovation in the field of radiation oncology. The main campus offers the following services: external beam radiation therapy with three state-of-the-art linear accelerators offering intensity-modulated radiation therapy and image guidance, one TomoTherapy® unit, one CyberKnife ® Robotic Radiosurgery treatment machine and Brachytherapy. UNC serves as the specialty oncology referral center for the entire state of North Carolina, with eighteen radiation oncologists providing services at the following treatment centers.
- NC Cancer Hospital in Chapel Hill
- Rex Cancer Center in Raleigh
- Rex Cancer Center of Wakefield
- Smithfield Radiation Oncology
- Clayton Radiation Oncology
- Highpoint Radiation Oncology
- McCreary Cancer Center Radiation Oncology
About RayStation®
RayStation® integrates all RaySearch’s advanced treatment planning solutions into a flexible treatment planning system. It combines unique features such as multi-criteria optimization tools with full support for 4D adaptive radiation therapy. It also includes functionality such as RaySearch’s market-leading algorithms for IMRT and VMAT optimization and highly accurate dose engines for photon, electron and proton therapy. The system is built on the latest software architecture and has a graphical user interface offering state-of-the-art usability.
About RaySearch
RaySearch Laboratories is a medical technology company that develops advanced software solutions for improved radiation therapy of cancer. RaySearch markets the RayStation® treatment planning system to clinics all over the world. In addition, RaySearch’s products are distributed through licensing agreements with leading medical technology companies. RaySearch’s software is used by over 2,500 clinics in more than 65 countries.
RaySearch was founded in 2000 as a spin-off from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the company is listed in the Small Cap segment on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm.
For more information about RaySearch, please visit www.raysearchlabs.com
For further information, please contact:
Johan Löf, President and CEO, RaySearch Laboratories AB
Telephone: 46 (0)8-510 530 00