Leo Cancer Care Introduces a Future Innovation concept, Grace™ to Europe at ESTRO 2026

CRAWLEY, UK – 15 MAY 2026 – Leo Cancer Care today announced the first European showcase of Grace™, its next step in upright patient treatment options, an upright photon therapy solution, at the ESTRO Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. The system represents a major step forward in the company’s mission to expand access to high-quality radiotherapy through a more patient-centric and globally scalable approach. 

Grace™ builds on Leo Cancer Care’s vision to challenge long-standing conventions in cancer treatment. Named after pioneering computer scientist and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper – who famously said, “The most dangerous phrase in the language is ‘But we’ve always done it this way’” – the system reflects a commitment to rethinking how radiotherapy is delivered. 

Designed for Global Scale and Access 

Grace™ will be developed to enable the delivery of conventional x-ray radiation therapy with patients positioned upright, offering a fundamental alternative to traditional supine treatment. 

A growing body of international research suggests that upright positioning may improve anatomical reproducibility and reduce internal organ motion, while patient feedback indicates enhanced comfort and a more positive treatment experience. Many patients describe feeling calmer, more comfortable, and more connected to their care when positioned upright, helping create a treatment experience that feels more human, more personal, and less intimidating at a time when patients can feel especially vulnerable. 

Beyond patient benefits, Grace™ is being engineered to address one of the biggest challenges in oncology: access. By utilising a fixed radiation beam combined with controlled patient rotation, the system can reduce facility shielding requirements, system complexity, and infrastructure costs. This simplified architecture has the potential to significantly expand where advanced radiotherapy can be delivered – not only within major academic medical centres, but also across a broader range of healthcare environments where traditional infrastructure requirements have historically limited adoption. In doing so, Grace™ will support new efficiencies for global growth in advanced cancer treatment. 

Engineered for Adaptative Therapy 

At the core of Grace™ is an integrated imaging and treatment workflow designed around the true treatment position. By incorporating fan beam CT imaging directly at the treatment isocenter, Grace™ has been developed to connect imaging, planning, and treatment delivery within a single upright platform. 

This approach is intended to support the future development of online adaptive radiotherapy workflows by enabling planning-quality imaging throughout the treatment process. It also creates the foundation for investigating future sim-free treatment pathways, with the potential to simplify clinical workflows and reduce the time between diagnosis and treatment. 

Grace™ also incorporates a rapid, large-format multi-leaf collimator (MLC), engineered to support high-throughput treatment delivery within a simplified upright workflow. Together, these technologies are designed to help healthcare providers manage growing patient demand while maintaining flexibility for future clinical innovation. 

The system is being developed for compatibility with RaySearch Laboratories’ RayStation®, the first treatment planning system to support upright radiation therapy, and RayCare®, its next-generation oncology information system. 

A Strategic Step Toward Widespread Adoption 

Stephen Towe, Co-Founder and CEO of Leo Cancer Care, said: 

“Following a successful introduction at ASTRO 2025, we are proud to introduce Grace™ to the European stage. This system reflects our core focus – delivering high-quality photon therapy that is not only patient-centric but also designed to scale globally.”

He added:

“Radiotherapy demand is increasing worldwide, yet access remains constrained by cost and infrastructure. Grace™ has been developed to address that challenge directly by reducing system complexity and infrastructure requirements, making advanced radiotherapy more practical to deploy in dense urban environments and European cities where space and construction constraints are significant. At the same time, it creates a platform for more adaptive, personalised treatment in the future.” 

Leading Institution form Research Group 

The first five pre-commercial Grace™ systems are expected to be deployed for non-clinical research use at leading international healthcare institutions as part of the Upright Photon Alliance, a global research collaboration launched in October 2024. 

Alliance partners – including Centre Léon Bérard, Cone Health, IHH Healthcare and Mayo Clinic – will evaluate Grace’s potential to identify efficient protocols that can improve patient set up times. This collaborative approach will play a key role in validating clinical benefits and supporting broader adoption as the technology evolves. 

Please note:

Leo Cancer Care’s Grace™ solution is currently under development and is not cleared or approved for sale. It is presented for research and discussion purposes only.