Study presented at ASTRO shows promising long-term outcomes for patients with localized pancreatic cancer treated on Elekta Unity
New data underscore the potential of MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy as Elekta advances Elekta Unity with Unity Pro to help bring adaptive treatment to more centers.
BOSTON – Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) highlights new data presented at ASTRO 2026 showing unprecedented long-term survival outcomes for patients with localized pancreatic cancer treated with high-dose, adaptive radiotherapy on Elekta Unity MR-Linac. The study, conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, U.S., followed patients who were not eligible for surgical resection, a group with a historically dismal prognosis.
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to treat, and many patients with localized disease cannot undergo surgery. For these patients, radiotherapy can be an important option, but treatment requires a high level of precision because the tumor may be close to healthy organs that shift between treatment sessions. Elekta Unity is designed to give care teams detailed MR imaging at the time of treatment, helping them adjust delivery based on the patient’s anatomy that day.
The study included 123 patients treated with MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy between May 2020 and December 2024 using Elekta Unity. Patients received treatment in five sessions over two weeks, with daily online adaptation used to help tailor treatment to the patient’s anatomy at each session.
After a median follow-up of just over two years, the study reported overall survival rates of 37.4 percent at two years and 26.3 percent at three years from radiotherapy. Local tumor control remained high, with 76.8 percent of patients free from local progression at both two and three years. These results are highly encouraging given the historically poor prognosis of localized pancreatic cancer.
“For patients with localized pancreatic cancer who are not candidates for surgery, while systemic treatment options are expanding, there is no option for long-term survival or cure with those treatments alone and the clinical need is significant. This is where ablative radiotherapy plays a major role” says Marsha Reyngold, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and first author of the study. "Our approach using Elekta Unity to deliver high-dose ablative radiotherapy was associated with durable local control and very promising long-term survival outcomes, supporting further evaluation of this approach."
The research adds to ongoing evaluation of high-dose adaptive radiotherapy for selected patients with localized pancreatic cancer. It also points to the importance of technology that can help deliver precise, personalized treatment, accounting for the tumor’s position, nearby organs and the patient’s changing anatomy from day to day.
The findings come as Elekta continues to invest in Elekta Unity with Unity Pro, the next evolution of its MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy platform. Unity Pro is designed to help make adaptive radiotherapy faster, more practical and more accessible through AI-assisted contouring, GPU-accelerated planning and remote collaboration capabilities. Built to address the realities of modern clinical practice, Unity Pro simplifies workflow complexity, accelerates online adaptation and enables specialist expertise to join the workflow remotely when needed, helping more centers make daily adaptive radiotherapy practical for more patients.
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For further information, please contact:
Kathy Pajari, Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: +46 76 255 6056, e-mail: Kathy.Pajari@elekta.com
Time zone: CEST (Central European Summertime)
About Elekta
Elekta is shaping the standard of care, together with healthcare providers, by developing precision radiation medicine that brings advanced radiotherapy into routine clinical practice. Our solutions support consistent, efficient and personalized care, addressing evolving patient needs. Through adaptive radiotherapy, precision treatment delivery and integrated workflows, Elekta supports care teams across a range of clinical settings. Each year more than 2 million patients are treated using Elekta solutions across 130 countries. Elekta is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with over 4,000 employees and offices in more than 40 countries. The company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more information, visit elekta.com.