Independent medical charity Paul Strickland Scanner Center, part of the Mount Vernon Hospital, has launched the first MAGNETOM Prismafit in the United Kingdom as an upgrade to its MR system. The center is conducting a series of improvements in collaboration with Siemens Healthcare, which will be used to improve evaluation of next-generation oncology treatments, with a particular emphasis on prostate cancer.
The charity center has partnered with the company in order to implement the MAGNETOM Prismafit system and improve its patients’ results while reducing waiting time. The main purpose of offering the new system is to improve cancer therapies and the quality and life expectancy of cancer patients. In addition, the Paul Strickland Scanner Center is also planning on launching a MAGNETOM Avantofit upgrade.
“The upgraded system is imaging between 12 and 15 patients per day,” explained Anwar Padhani, the consultant radiologist and professor of cancer imaging at Paul Strickland Scanner Center in a press release. “Although we are using the Prismafit for all sorts of procedures such as oncological, brain and spinal imaging, the technology has been particularly valuable in our prostate cancer work.”
“Recent guidelines implemented by NICE, London Cancer Alliance and BUPA for suspected prostate cancer now recommend MR scans should take place before invasive biopsy and call for active surveillance instead of more invasive treatments for non-aggressive disease,” added Padhani.
The upgraded system is meant to provide a powerful 3T MRI platform and assist in the management of challenging MRI research. Prismafit consists of a XR 80/200 gradient system, the strongest gradient currently available, allowing the center to combine excellency gradients with Total imaging matrix, or Tim 4G, as well as Day optimizing throughput (Dot), in order to fulfill several oncology needs. Dot is also able to improve consistency of results and research reproducibility in multi-center studies.
Claire Strickland, chief executive of the center, explained that the MAGNETOM Prismafit upgrade has already positively impacted the center’s outcomes: “more than 40,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK every year, the installation of the Prismafit will allow for a faster diagnosis and a greatly enhanced patient experience.”
“As Paul Strickland Scanner Centre continues to improve levels of patient care, it requires technology that can stay ahead of the times and continue to increase throughput,” said the regional sales manager at Siemens Healthcare, Andreas Hadjiphanis. “In addition to the Prismafit, an Avantofit upgrade is also currently underway, underlining the centre’s desire to ensure the same high-quality of software and hardware is available for clinicians to best serve the patient.”
Siemes Healthcare is among the largest companies in the world to offer medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids in the medical market. The company has been dedicated to provide patient care products and solutions, focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare.