Giving Hope

Today, World Cancer Day (February 4) is a day of awareness, action, and hope. Whenever I meet someone dealing with cancer, I am constantly reminded that behind every patient is a person with dreams and loved ones who care for them. And it is this human connection that gives me and my colleagues the drive and determination to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible in cancer care.

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A main priority at Elekta is to develop technology that healthcare professionals can use, not only to deliver an effective cancer treatment, but to fulfill their patients’ desires to be healthy and to live full lives. We continue to push the boundary of what is both technically possible and what people can realistically have faith in.

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Recently, a patient in Europe was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the most difficult types to treat due to the tumor's location in the body and because it is often caught so late. Surgery is complicated and not without risks. However, this patient was treated with the world’s most advanced radiation treatment option, an Elekta Unity MR-Linac. With Unity, clinicians can follow the tumor’s movements and avoid the healthy tissue around it, enabling a higher dose. This means they can successfully treat a cancer notorious for having a high mortality rate, which is a true breakthrough in cancer care.

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The doctor who treated this person said that the technology gave him “the potential to further reduce margins and with that, reduce patient side effects and improve outcomes.” The ability to treat even the most challenging cancer tumors that were previously impossible to treat, gives people hope where there was none before. This fills me with enormous pride: to lead the company that allows doctors and care teams to fulfill the greatest desire of their patients, another chance at life.

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Together with my colleagues at Elekta, we work relentlessly to improve and saving the lives of millions of people impacted by cancer. However, like so many of my colleagues, friends, and family, I am painfully familiar with the impact that cancer has on both patients and those close to them. This empathy and understanding are what motivates us every day in our desire to deliver hope to everyone dealing with cancer.

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Although the future for cancer patients today is better than ever before in history, we will not lose sight of the importance of the work we do, or to continue developing our technology to make a real difference in people's lives.