Brain Cancer Patient Receives First TrueBeam STx Treatment in Asia at BGS Global Hospitals in Bangalore

BANGALORE, India, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Doctors at BGS Global Cancer Institute at BGS Global Hospitals in Bangalore have begun delivering advanced radiotherapy treatments using the first clinical TrueBeam™ STx medical linear accelerator in Asia.  A 57-year-old female patient with a brain metastasis received whole brain radiotherapy and this will be followed by stereotactic radiosurgical boosts to the lesion using the fast and precise system.  

"The whole procedure, the imaging and treatment, was completed within five minutes," says Dr. Nirmala Srikantia, senior consultant and chief of radiation oncology services at BGS Global Cancer Institute. "TrueBeam STx gives our oncologists the flexibility to deliver multiple high precision treatments such as this while minimizing the time required and, potentially, the inconvenience to the patient."

"The new system's advantages of speed and precision will help benefit our patients in receiving timely treatments. Our specialists will be able to offer high quality treatments to more patients and deliver them more quickly than has been possible in the past," adds Dr. Srikantia.   

Designed to advance the treatment of lung, breast, prostate, gynaecologic, liver, head and neck, and other types of cancer, the TrueBeam platform from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) was engineered from the ground up to treat tumors with unprecedented speed and accuracy. It features a multitude of technical innovations that dynamically synchronize imaging, patient positioning, motion management, and treatment delivery. With its High Intensity Mode*, TrueBeam machines can deliver very high doses quickly and accurately, more than twice as fast as earlier generations of technology.  The TrueBeam STx is a high-end model optimized for radiosurgical applications, where very large doses are delivered in a single treatment or only a few sessions.

Initial TrueBeam STx treatments at BGS Global Hospitals will focus on brain, head & neck, gastro-intestinal and gynaecologic cancers using advanced techniques such as IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy). The team intends to commence stereotactic radiosurgery treatments by the end of January. "Since the hospital was established, our specialists have routinely treated various types of cancers using medical oncology and surgery, but the TrueBeam STx means we can now offer advanced radiosurgery treatments in addition," says Dr. K. Ravindranath, chairman and managing director of Global Hospitals Group.

Global Hospitals has acquired three TrueBeam STx systems – ordered in 2010 -- for its sites in Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai, because of the rapidly increasing cancer incidence in these major population centers, along with the strength of the neuroscience departments in those hospitals. "This will make some of the world's most advanced treatment capabilities accessible for cancer patients in these major Indian cities," adds Dr. Ravindranath. "This country needs more radiotherapy equipment to help its cancer patients and we believe we can help relieve this situation by installing the most modern and advanced devices available."

Rolf Staehelin, international head of marketing operations for Varian's Oncology Systems group, says, "Varian is at the forefront in offering advanced systems for radiosurgical and neurosurgical treatments in India and we are delighted to be working closely with Global Hospitals Group as they introduce this ground-breaking technology for the benefit of cancer patients." India has a population of over a billion people and there are an estimated one million new cases of cancer diagnosed in the country each year.

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 X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 5,700 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.

* High Intensity Mode has yet to receive clearance in India but it is cleared by the FDA, has CE marking and has regulatory clearances in all other major markets.     

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems