Varian Medical Systems To Unveil RapidArc™ Volumetric Arc Therapy And Other Products Designed To Speed Delivery Of Precision Radiotherapy

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Radiology / Nuclear Medicine
Article Date: 29 Oct 2007 - 2:00 PST

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Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), world leader in advanced radiotherapy solutions for treating cancer and other disorders, will unveil a faster and more precise technology for treating cancer patients with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) at the 49th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Los Angeles next week. Varian's ASTRO exhibit will feature its groundbreaking RapidArc™ radiotherapy technology* among several products that are designed to increase the speed, precision, and personalization of cancer treatments.

Varian's ASTRO Booth #419 will highlight:

-- RapidArc™ radiotherapy*, a new volumetric arc therapy that will enable clinicians to deliver radiation more precisely in much less time. RapidArc will make it possible to quickly deliver a complete intensity- modulated radiation treatment during a single rotation of the treatment machine around the patient while potentially conforming dose more closely to the size, shape and location of the tumor and sparing more surrounding healthy tissue. (See related press release entitled Varian Medical Systems to Introduce RapidArc™ Radiotherapy Technology for Volumetric Arc Therapy at ASTRO 2007).

-- The new Novalis® Tx radiosurgery offering, combining Varian's high- definition HD120 multileaf collimator, Trilogy™ linear accelerator, On- Board Imager® device and software with BrainLAB's ExacTrac™ imager, robotic couch and treatment planning software. This platform features the highest dose delivery rates in the industry, dynamic beam shaping, and frameless patient positioning for more rapid, effective, and comfortable treatments. "Together, we are offering radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons and other medical specialists the sharpest knife available for radiosurgery," said Tim Guertin, CEO of Varian.

-- Varian's new iX line of HDR afterloaders and VariSeed™ treatment planning software, which are designed to enhance accuracy and streamline the planning and delivery of brachytherapy treatments.

-- Eclipse™ treatment planning, with its Smart Segmentation™ automatic contouring and beam angle optimization tools, as well as proton spot scanning*, which makes it possible to modulate the beam's intensity to produce optimized proton dose distributions in three dimensions. -- The ARIA™ Oncology Information System with comprehensive electronic medical records (EMR) for medical and radiation oncology treatment facilities.

"Across our entire product portfolio, we have focused our development on speeding up highly targeted treatments," said Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "These new offerings make this a pivotal year for Varian."
Users' Meeting and Emerging Technologies Symposium

In addition to its exhibit at ASTRO, Varian is sponsoring two additional events during the meeting:

(1) Users' Meeting on Saturday, October 27, from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, with a focus on optimal workflow practices for image-guided radiotherapy. Topics will include efficient planning for complex cases, optimizing technology in an all-Varian or mixed-vendor environment, and managing information in a digital (paperless) environment.
v (2) Emerging Technologies Symposium, Tuesday, October 30, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. Billy W. Loo, Jr., MD, of Stanford University, will talk about advances in motion management, while Jim Morris, M.D., of the BC Cancer Agency, will present about volumetric arc radiotherapy- a new innovation in highly conformal treatment.

*These products are currently pending FDA 510(k) clearance and not available for sale in the United States. For more information, high resolution photos, and other news about Varian at the ASTRO meeting, visit the company's ASTRO newsroom page at this URL.

About Varian Medical Systems

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 4,400 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America and Europe and approximately 60 sales and support offices around the world.

http://www.varian.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release regarding future business, events, plans, objectives, expectations, estimates, and other similar matters, including, but not limited to, statements using the terms "will enable," "we can," and "can now start" constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, the risks described in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed from time to time by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent the Company's judgment as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements because of new information, future events, or otherwise.