Hospital acquires a second Varian system for treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery

KYOTO, Japan /PRNewswire/ - Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), a leading manufacturer of medical devices for treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery, recently installed its 500th medical linear accelerator in Japan at the Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital. The hospital acquired a Novalis Tx™ treatment machine plus Varian's latest Eclipse™ software for planning modern radiotherapy treatments that precisely target tumors and minimize dose to surrounding healthy tissues.

"The new system at the Red Cross Kyoto Daiichi Hospital is optimized for planning and delivering advanced treatments such as stereotactic radiosurgery," said Makoto Yamada, director of sales and marketing for Varian in Japan. "It is the second Varian system to be put into service at that location. The hospital expects to commence using it for patient treatments in June. We were pleased to honor the clinical team with a commemorative plaque celebrating the 500th Varian machine in Japan, as well as the hospital's commitment to providing quality cancer care for the people of Japan."
The Novalis Tx medical linear accelerator is a sophisticated machine that rotates around a patient to deliver a treatment beam from multiple angles while sculpting the beam to match the shape of the tumor. In addition to conventional radiation therapy, it can deliver RapidArc® radiotherapy, and also stereotactic radiosurgery, a technique for delivering high dose treatment beams quickly to attack tumors from outside the body in just one to five treatment sessions. Patients can avoid the incisions associated with conventional surgery.

According to Seiichi Furuya, MD, PhD, director of the Department of Radiation Therapy at the hospital, his team will use the new Novalis Tx machine primarily for the treatment of brain tumors. "We believe that we will be able to improve our brain cancer patients' post-treatment cognitive functioning by delivering treatments that minimize dose to the hippocampus. That's one of the important clinical advances I plan to implement using the Novalis Tx system," Dr. Furuya said.

"What makes this technology so valuable is the fact that you can use it for radiosurgery and conventional radiotherapy, so you do not need additional, expensive, dedicated radiosurgery machines that are more limited in their capabilities," added Dr. Furuya. "Varian machines have a reputation for quality and for delivering a stable beam, which is essential for radiosurgery treatments that involve delivering high doses quickly and precisely."

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