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The On-Board Imager(R) is a robotic X-ray device mounted on a medicallinear accelerator which generates high quality images used to preciselyposition cancer patients for radiotherapy and radiosurgery. Before itsintroduction, radiation oncologists had to contend with variations in patientpositioning and with respiratory motion by treating a larger margin of healthytissue around the tumor.
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"This device plays an important role in positioning of patients whiletreating with new advanced forms of radiotherapy such as RapidArc(TM) andstereotactic body radiotherapy," says Rolf Stahelin, marketing director ofVarian's Oncology Systems business in Europe. "We installed the firstproduction On-Board Imager at Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm in April 2004and four years later the On-Board Imager has become the tool of choice formodern image-guided radiotherapy."
The 1000th On-Board Imager was delivered with a new Clinac(R) iXaccelerator acquired by Kantonsspital as a replacement for a 16-year-oldmachine. The new accelerator becomes one of three treatment machines at thehospital and it is the first equipped with image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT)capabilities.
Dr. Peter Thum, head of the hospital's radiation oncology department,said, "We recently learned that our machine would be the thousandth of itskind and we are delighted that our establishment has achieved this landmarkfor this advance in imaging and treatment technology. Our hospital has in thepast pioneered image-guidance using gold markers for prostate patients but thenew machine will enable us to introduce IGRT for many other indications."
Dr. Thum said his team were particularly interested in using the On-BoardImager's cone-beam CT capabilities to generate 3D images of prostate and head& neck tumors. "At present we have to use the planning CT and we bring thepatient across to the planning department every three weeks or so to checkpositioning," he said. "With this capability on the treatment machines, wewill be able to do this more frequently to optimise accuracy and avoid theproblem of anatomical motion when the patient is transferred from the CTscanner to the treatment machine."
Kantonsspital, a state hospital serving half a million people across sixstates in the center of Switzerland, treats 1400 patients each year. The IGRT-equipped accelerator is undergoing installation and commissioning and clinicaltreatments are expected to begin in November.
On-Board Imager
Varian's On-Board Imager for IGRT enables clinicians to image and treatpatients on a single machine that rotates around the patient to take X-rayimages and deliver treatments from virtually any angle. The On-Board Imagerdevice produces high-resolution images of the tumor and tracks changes intumor shape, size or position due to shrinkage or shifting over a multi-weekcourse of treatment, and due to respiration.
There are more than 5000 Varian linear accelerators delivering precisionradiotherapy around the world and many of these can be upgraded with an On-Board Imager for IGRT. About three-quarters of all high energy acceleratorsshipped by Varian are equipped with an On-Board Imager.
Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems, +44 7786 526068,[email protected]
About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world'sleading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer andother medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, andbrachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managingcomprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncologypractices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and alsosupplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection.Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 4,600 people who are located atmanufacturing sites in North America and Europe and in its 60 sales andsupport offices around the world. For more information, visithttp://www.varian.com/.
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Statements in this press release regarding future business, events, plans,objectives, expectations, estimates, and other similar matters, including, butnot limited to, statements using the terms "can" and "makes it possible to"constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the PrivateSecurities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statementscontained in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties thatcould cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated,including, but not limited to, the risks described in the company's AnnualReport on Form 10-K and other reports filed from time to time by the Companywith the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statementsrepresent the Company's judgment as of the date of this press release. TheCompany assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-lookingstatements because of new information, future events, or otherwise.
SOURCE Varian Medical Systems
