ASTRO 2025: A Landmark Event for Leo Cancer Care

The 67th annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting took place earlier this month in the heart of America’s tech hub, San Francisco. The sun was shining on what promised to be our biggest show yet — and it truly delivered. 

A powerful start 

The long weekend of activities began with the first-ever Upright Radiotherapy Summit, bringing together institutions adopting our technology from across modalities and across the world. 

During the summit, we heard from teams already implementing upright radiotherapy and those preparing to go clinical. Expert speakers shared insights on upright treatment planning, quality assurance, and immobilization. Leading pediatric specialists discussed how upright treatments could transform the future of children’s cancer care, while research leaders highlighted where the next wave of studies should focus to further strengthen the case for upright radiotherapy. 

Day Two: Innovation in Action 

The excitement continued on day two, as Stanford Medical Center opened its doors to give attendees an exclusive look at its new state-of-the-art treatment rooms — featuring Leo Cancer Care’s upright technology. Stanford is now in the final stages of installation and preparing to treat its first patients early next year. 

When the exhibit hall doors opened on Sunday 28th September, the Leo Cancer Care booth quickly became a hub of activity. Our stand was buzzing with visitors eager to hear the latest developments since our last appearance at ASTRO — and we certainly had plenty of news to share!

Launching Grace™ — Our Latest Photon Solution 

ASTRO 2025 was the platform to launch Grace™, Leo Cancer Care’s future photon solution. Grace™ combines a fixed photon beam with our patient positioning system and upright CT scanner, enabling planning-quality imaging throughout the entire treatment workflow. This advancement paves the way for online adaptive radiotherapy in the future. 

The solution also features a large, ultra-fast multi-leaf collimator (MLC) that challenges conventional MLC speeds currently on the market. 

The launch drew huge crowds, sparked exciting discussions, and featured passionate speeches from members of the Upright Photon Alliance, who proudly shared their involvement in research with this breakthrough technology.

Celebrating FDA clearance and new partnerships 

Earlier this year, we proudly announced FDA 510(k) clearance for Marie, our system combining an upright patient positioning platform with a built-in CT scanner. The celebrations continued throughout ASTRO, as our partners at Mevion also received 510(k) clearance for their S250 Fit system, which includes Leo Cancer Care technology. 

Further exciting news included a new research partnership with Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at University Health Network — Canada’s largest integrated cancer research, teaching, and treatment center. 

We also revealed an exciting strategic collaboration with Sumitomo Heavy Industries, a global pioneer in medical technology. Together, we will develop a new configuration combining Sumitomo’s advanced systems with our Marie platform. 

Our existing partnership with IHH Healthcare also reached a new milestone. IHH — already a member of the Upright Photon Alliance-has become an equity investor in Leo Cancer Care and has now extended the collaboration into the realm of proton therapy as well as photons. 

In another announcement, Leo Cancer Care has placed orders with TibaRay for their advanced linear accelerator. This cutting-edge technology can deliver higher doses than conventional linacs, opening up the exciting possibility of providing FLASH treatments in an upright orientation. 

ASTRO also saw the debut of something truly different — the launch of our new interactive game for pediatric patients, developed with Xploro. Designed to make radiation therapy less daunting, the game combines storytelling and gamification to educate and comfort children undergoing treatment. This project perfectly embodies Leo Cancer Care’s mission: to make the experience of radiotherapy a more positive one for those who need it most. 

Spreading the word 

The message of upright radiotherapy was shared far and wide at ASTRO, including a session at the Industry Expert Theatre titled “Upright Radiotherapy: From Vision to Reality.” Five leading voices in the field captivated the audience with their insights into how this technology is transforming care delivery. 

Throughout the event, the Leo Cancer Care booth remained a focal point. Daily demonstrations led by Shane Ikner and clinical customer Stephanie Angell gave visitors hands-on experience with our systems and immobilization devices — offering a glimpse into what future patients will one day feel. 

Reflecting on ASTRO 2025 

Barb Keller, Corporate and Business Development Executive at Leo Cancer Care said:

“The highlights of ASTRO 2025 for me were the celebration of Marie being 510(k) approved and announcing moving from the proton to photon space with the announcement of Grace…truly finding out the benefit of upright to the patients who will be using it. This is an exciting opportunity in the world of radiotherapy and we are excited to be at the forefront of it”

ASTRO is always one of our favorite events of the year. It’s a chance to showcase our technology, share our mission to change the way radiotherapy is delivered, and connect with partners, collaborators, and future customers. Once again, upright radiotherapy proved to be one of the most exciting topics of the conference — and we’re proud to be leading the way.