GE Healthcare and Elekta have paired their technologies to help providers advance imaging and radiotherapy services for cancer patients.

The two have partnered together to provide their solutions as a joint offering that will make radiotherapy care more precise in developed and developing markets.

Up to 50% – 60% of all cancer patients must undergo radiotherapy, which requires high quality imaging and delivery equipment and software for precisely targeting tumors. Precision imaging is necessary for determining the size, shape and characteristics of tumors and distinguishing them from healthy tissue.
This requires advanced patient positioning, motion management technologies and techniques such as volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT).

GE will provide RT imaging, simulation and guidance products from its CT, MR, PET/CT and ultrasound businesses, while Elekta will cover the treatment side with external beam and brachytherapy machines, treatment planning systems and oncology information platforms.

"Partnering with Elekta enables us to better serve health systems and cancer centers, who are seeking to better control their own cost base and build cancer care pathways with best-of-breed solutions from different vendors that are interoperable within the clinical workflow - and with a less cumbersome purchasing process," Ben Newton, head of oncology solutions at GE Healthcare, told HCB News.

The aim is to create greater flexibility and interoperability in integrated radiation oncology simulation and guidance technology, a highly sought demand among providers worldwide for streamlining radiation oncology workflows.

Both companies will continue to offer their own solutions with standard interoperability, as well as the ability to interface with any vendor's systems. The collaboration is non-exclusive, allowing each to work with other partners.

“We have many mutual healthcare providers who see clear synergies and advantages with our respective, strong product portfolios. This will allow us to jointly promote solutions for each cancer center's needs,” said Elekta CEO Gustaf Salford.

GE Healthcare is looking to focus more on precision health in the near future following its planned spin off from General Electric in early 2023. It expects to be more nimble and better able to adapt to changes in the market, and sees great potential in its fast-growing, diagnostic imaging equipment market because of the growing development of AI technologies and more competition from startups and established players.

It also says it will be better able to address the needs of aging populations, access to healthcare services in emerging economies, development of new technologies and the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

It recently agreed to provide digital health solutions to Sheba Medical Center in Israel to improve patient-centered care and its precision medicine initiatives. Sheba expects the agreement to help its clinicians make faster, more targeted and informed decisions for diagnoses, treatments and monitoring, especially for data-driven cardiology, remote pregnancy monitoring and molecular imaging.

GE Healthcare earned $18 billion in revenue in 2021 and still expects to see high single-digit growth and $5.5-$6.5 billion in free cash flow in 2022 following the spinoff. It has installed more than four million medical solutions worldwide.

Elekta has offices in more than 120 countries and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Among its solutions are linacs such as Elekta Unity, Harmony, Infinity and Synergy platforms. It also offers motion management and treatment planning solutions for radiotherapy.