TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ:
TOMO), maker of the Hi·Art®
treatment system for advanced radiation therapy, held an investor
meeting on March 13, 2008, at its headquarters in Madison, Wis. The
event, arranged by investment firm William Blair & Company, included
presentations from TomoTherapy’s
management team and two clinical experts in the field of radiation
oncology: Patrick Kupelian, M.D., and Chet Ramsey, Ph.D.
Dr. Kupelian, director of clinical research for radiation oncology at MD
Anderson Cancer Center Orlando, spoke on his early adoption of the Hi·Art
treatment system and the center’s recent
decision to purchase a second Hi·Art unit. "Early on, we saw TomoTherapy as an
innovative tool in the fight against cancer. We recognized the benefit
of integrating treatment capabilities onto an imaging device, rather
than simply adding imaging to a treatment platform that wasn’t
originally designed for image guidance,” said
Dr. Kupelian. "Now, it’s
difficult to see how we ever performed radiotherapy without effective
image guidance. Our staff values the confidence that comes with daily CT
imaging of patients.”
Dr. Kupelian added: "With the second TomoTherapy
unit, we will be able to expand our offerings in image-guided,
intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT). Furthermore, we can
pursue new opportunities that TomoTherapy makes possible, such as
online adaptive radiotherapy and the delivery of higher doses of
radiation over a shorter period of time.” Dr. Ramsey, director of medical physics at Thompson
Cancer Survival Center in Knoxville, Tenn., presented his experience
with various forms of rotational radiation therapy.
Said Dr. Ramsey: "In July 2003, our center
became the first to treat patients with a commercial TomoTherapy device.
Since then we’ve used it to treat well over
1,000 people, each with superior dose distributions and CT imaging prior
to their treatment sessions. There’s no doubt
that Hi·Art is the right platform for
rotational radiation therapy, because it consistently delivers a uniform
dose to the target volume. I say that with confidence as a current user
of both TomoTherapy and Varian Medical Systems equipment, and as
an active researcher attempting to make single-rotation volumetric
modulated arc therapy (VMAT) a viable option on conventional linear
accelerators.”
Notable presentations from TomoTherapy’s
management team included:
Co-founder and chairman of the board Rock Mackie, Ph.D., detailing the Hi·Art
treatment system’s unique CT-based
design and helical delivery of IMRT;
Paul Baumgart, director of international distribution, on
strengthening TomoTherapy’s sales
organization; and
Don Parnell, former clinical user of the Hi·Art
treatment system and current market development manager for
TomoTherapy, highlighting emerging clinical evidence of the system’s
ability to help reduce side effects and improve outcomes in cancer
treatment.
Said Fred Robertson, CEO of TomoTherapy: "It
was our pleasure to welcome investors to Madison last week. We’re
confident that all in attendance left with a better understanding of
TomoTherapy’s competitive advantage and
belief in our distinct technological edge in meeting the radiotherapy
needs of clinicians and their patients, today and for years to come.” About TomoTherapy Incorporated
TomoTherapy Incorporated has developed, markets and sells the TomoTherapy®
Hi·Art®
treatment system, an advanced radiation therapy system for the treatment
of a wide variety of cancers. The Hi·Art
treatment system combines integrated CT imaging with conformal radiation
therapy to deliver sophisticated radiation treatments with speed and
precision while reducing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy
tissue. The company’s stock is traded on the
Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol TOMO. To learn more about
TomoTherapy, please visit TomoTherapy.com.
©2008 TomoTherapy Incorporated. All rights
reserved. TomoTherapy, the TomoTherapy logo and Hi·Art
are among trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of
TomoTherapy Incorporated.
