Leo Cancer Care and Centre Léon Bérard Mark Europe’s First Clinical Installation of the Marie® Upright Radiotherapy System

Leo Cancer Care is celebrating the first European installation of its Marie® upright radiotherapy positioning system and integrated CT scanner at Centre Léon Bérard in Lyon, France. The milestone marks another significant step in bringing upright radiotherapy into routine clinical practice, building on years of pioneering research and collaboration to enhance the patient experience and expand access to advanced cancer care. 

Leo Cancer Care celebrated the installation of Europe’s first combined upright radiotherapy positioning and CT system at Centre Léon Bérard in Lyon, France, marking another important milestone in the evolution of more patient-centred cancer care.

The long-standing collaboration between Leo Cancer Care and Centre Léon Bérard builds on pioneering clinical research first undertaken in 2021, when the Centre conducted the world’s first pilot study evaluating upright patient positioning in patients with pelvic tumours. The study assessed positioning accuracy and patient comfort, helping to demonstrate the feasibility of upright radiotherapy and shape the next generation of treatment technology, showing favourability towards upright in many areas.

The installation represents another important step towards making upright radiotherapy a clinical reality across Europe.

The Potential Benefits of Upright Radiotherapy

Unlike conventional radiotherapy, where patients are typically treated lying down, Leo Cancer Care’s upright positioning technology enables treatment in a more natural, physiological position. This approach has the potential to improve patient comfort, reduce motion associated with respiration, and support treatment planning that better protects surrounding healthy tissue.

The compact design of the system also offers the potential to reduce the space required for advanced radiotherapy installations, supporting more efficient treatment environments and helping to make advanced cancer care more accessible.

The technology is expected to support research across a broad range of tumour sites, including head and neck, lung, breast, prostate, cervical and rectal cancers.

“The upright position is far more aligned with normal human physiology than lying down. It gives us the opportunity to further optimise dose distribution and ultimately improve clinical outcomes for patients,” said Professor Vincent Grégoire, Director of Research and Education in Radiation Oncology at Centre Léon Bérard.

Building on World-First Research

Following the initial pilot study conducted between 2021 and 2022, valuable clinical feedback enabled further refinement of the technology. Today’s installation makes Centre Léon Bérard the first hospital in Europe to introduce an upright radiotherapy positioning system into its clinical environment.

The project also includes TheraPanacea’s AI-powered automatic contouring tools for upright imaging. It has been supported by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region through the European Regional Development Fund, FEDER, supporting collaborative efforts to advance radiation therapy within Europe.

A forthcoming clinical study will evaluate upright positioning for additional tumour sites, including lung, breast, and head and neck cancers. Using upright CT imaging, researchers will also investigate how changes in patient posture influence the relationship between tumours and surrounding healthy tissues, with the aim of further understanding the dosimetric advantages of upright treatment.

“This installation represents far more than the introduction of new technology,” said Stephen Towe, CEO of Leo Cancer Care. “It reflects years of collaboration between clinicians, researchers and industry partners who share a common goal: making cancer treatment more human. By rethinking one of the most fundamental aspects of radiotherapy, how we position patients, we have the opportunity to improve the treatment experience while enabling more efficient and accessible cancer care for patients around the world.”