CQ Medical and Leo Cancer Care Announce Release of New Head and Neck Backrest Designed for Upright Patient Positioning During Radiotherapy Treatment

Leo Cancer Care, a world leader in upright radiation therapy solutions, is proud to announce that they are collaborating with CQ Medical, who have just released a new head and neck backrest to support treatment of patients with head and neck cancers in the upright orientation. Interoperability testing is underway to ensure CQ Medical’s new ProForm™ Head & Neck Backrest integrates quickly and easily with Leo Cancer Care’s upright radiotherapy solutions. 

Important Milestone for Upright Radiotherapy 

This newly released device marks another important milestone in the evolution of upright radiotherapy. It will enable centers to adopt the technology to treat head and neck cancers upright using a proven proton thermoplastic head only and head, neck and shoulder mask. 

Leo Cancer Care’s believes that the biggest improvement for these head and neck indications will be the experience for those going through treatment. Patient feedback suggests improved management of oral secretions, and if using open-faced masks, the ability to see out, eye-to-eye with clinicians, making them feel more at ease during treatment. 

“This collaboration with CQ Medical represents a key advancement in expanding the clinical capabilities of upright radiotherapy,” said Stephen Towe, CEO at Leo Cancer Care. “We’re excited to bring this option to clinics looking to push the boundaries of patient-centred care, especially in treating challenging head and neck cancers.” 

Enhancing Clinical Capability for Upright Treatments  

The ProForm system has been adapted for upright treatments by adding height adjustability and optimized neck curvature. The device maintains its soft gradient edges to reduce beam degradation. The backrest accepts a thermoplastic mask designed to meet the unique requirements of both proton therapy and conventional radiotherapy to work with the full range of Leo Cancer Care radiotherapy solutions. The ProForm thermoplastic mask features a familiar Type-S design optimized with a thin, soft gradient profile frame with strategically placed lower profile pins for proton treatment.  The backrest accepts head-only and head, neck and shoulder thermoplastic masks and a registration film for indexing an AccuForm™ Cushion. 

Luke Federspiel, VP, Strategic Alliances at CQ Medical stated, “CQ Medical is excited to launch the ProForm Head and Neck Backrest for Leo Cancer Care’s systems. Trusted partnerships with global institutions and original equipment manufacturers are a core value for CQ Medical’s mission. CQ Medical has collaborated with Leo Cancer Care on the rectangular backrest and related patient positioning accessories for several years. We are excited to continue to innovate and expand upright patient positioning to head and neck workflows enabled by the ProForm system.”  

As upright radiotherapy continues to gain momentum for its potential to improve patient comfort and offer an enhanced treatment experience, innovations like this will be critical to expanding the range of patients who can benefit. 

*Please note that Leo Cancer Care’s Marie® device is pending 510(k) clearance and is not available for sale.