Press Releases

Radiation oncology software company Prowess, Inc. has released Panther 4.1, which will help to improve the quality of life for cancer patients around the world. Panther, already known for its user friendly interface, single platform, fast calculation engine, and patented DAO IMRT technology, has now become even more powerful. True to form, the latest version includes a variety of enhancements and new features sure to set new standards within the treatment planning software arena.

Developed in cooperation with researchers at University of Maryland (College Park, MD), Prowess Panther™ DAO IMRT uses patented technology to develop treatment plans that are more accurate, take less time and deliver less radiation than standard IMRT solutions. The efficiencies of Prowess Panther DAO IMRT allow substantially more cancer patients access to the benefits of IMRT. By contrast, standard IMRT has been prescribed to only about 20% of cancer patients, mainly due to the lengthy - and more costly - treatment sessions.

Inverse Brachy offers accuracy in dose delivery while lowering radiation to normal tissue. In comparison to other brachytherapy planning systems, based on 30 prostate cases with prescribed dose delivered to 98% of the gland, Prowess' Inverse Brachy improved conformity ranges from 10-20%; reduced urethra dose by 21%; reduced rectum dose by 15%; used fewer seeds (~15%) and needles (10%); and resulted in an under-dose of within 3% of the prescribed dose.

Studies at the University of Maryland demonstrate that, when compared with conventional IMRT, Prowess Panther DAO IMRT reduces the amount of radiation dose delivered by up to 80% and reduces the number of times the radiation is delivered during a single treatment session by up to 95%.

Prowess uses a proprietary method of developing IMRT radiation treatment plans called Direct Aperture Optimization (DAO). Available only through Prowess, this patented technology was developed with leading scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.