Varian Medical Systems Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Use of Transponder to Monitor Motion During Radiotherapy Anywhere in Body

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a surface beacon transponder to be used with the Varian Calypso system as a real-time tracking device capable of monitoring motion during radiotherapy treatments for indications anywhere in the body. The Surface Beacon® Transponder is placed temporarily on the skin for real time tracking of respiratory and other patient motion during radiotherapy, thereby greatly expanding the number of cancer sites for which the Calypso technology can be used.  

"Our new surface transponder allows users to track patient motion in real-time during treatment," says Chris Toth, vice president of marketing for Varian's Oncology Systems group. "It can be placed on a patient's chest wall to monitor respiratory motion during radiotherapy. It is designed to improve targeting in some of the most prevalent types of cancer, including breast cancer."

For example, chest wall monitoring during treatment of the left breast can correlate with the position of the heart. Having a tool to monitor this position in real-time enables clinicians to design treatments that eliminate or significantly reduce dose to the heart. Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in the U.S. – an estimated 30 percent* of women will develop breast cancer over their lifetime.

Varian acquired Calypso in October 2011 to extend the company's range of real-time tracking tools aimed at enhancing the precision of radiotherapy treatments.

"These products are a perfect complement for Varian's motion management technology, including our TrueBeam™ platform and dynamic imaging tools for highly focused radiosurgery," says Tim Guertin, president and CEO of Varian Medical Systems. "Achieving 510(k) clearance for the Surface Beacon Transponder expands the range of applications for the Calypso 'GPS for the body' real-time tracking solution."

*American Cancer Society 2011

Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems, +44 7786 526068

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, 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 high-energy X-ray devices for cargo screening and non-destructive testing applications. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 5,900 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems