Elekta Inc. this week inked a collaborative agreement with IMPAC Medical Systems Inc. to connect its digital linear accelerators (Elekta Synergy and Precise Treatment system) with IMPAC's oncology information management products. The announcement was made at the 46th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), Oct. 3 - 7, in Atlanta.

IMPAC expects to ship later this year an enhanced interface which will add a high-speed capability to Elekta's PreciseBEAM IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) system. The high-speed performance enhancement also will be included in the DICOM-RT compliant linear accelerator interface the companies are jointly developing, Elekta said.

"This agreement will further improve connectivity for customers by expanding the use of new technology systems - offering our customers true integration along with the freedom to choose the products which best fit their needs," stated Laurent Leksell, president and CEO of Elekta.

"This is a collaborative development effort aimed at enhancing the process of delivering increasingly complex cancer treatments," stated Joseph K. Jachinowski, president and CEO of IMPAC.