CMS Inc. has completed internal and external validation testing for its new Monaco IMRT planning system. The system, which is CE marked for distribution in Europe, is now pending U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance.
Monaco, according to the company, represents a fundamentally new approach to IMRT planning — the concepts represent a unique and sophisticated set of tools to make the radiotherapy planning process easier, more straightforward and clinically reliable.
A major challenge with IMRT has been managing the time- and resource-intensive processes associated with treatment planning. With Monaco, CMS offers new approaches designed to improve the following:
- Repetitive trial-and-error methods for determining the optimal plan
- Multiple variables to manage the planning process including patient data, contours, and the optimization itself
- A generally non-intuitive IMRT planning process
- A lack of control over the “black box” optimization process
Monaco was developed with the University of Tuebingen in Germany. Markus Alber, Ph.D. and colleagues developed the Hyperion project, which is the engine behind the new Monaco system.