Leading Cancer Center in Italy Introduces Wider Range of Non-Surgical Cancer Treatments Using Varian's Edge™ Radiosurgery System

MILAN, Italy, April 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Humanitas Cancer Center in Milan has become one of the first hospitals in the world to commence cancer treatments using the new Edge™ radiosurgery system from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR).  This precise, non-invasive alternative to conventional surgery has been used to treat several patients with lung, prostate, brain, and liver lesions.

"Edge radiosurgery gives us the opportunity to further minimize damage to healthy tissues and increase the dose per treatment session, making it a valid alternative to surgery, especially for inoperable patients," says Dr. Marta Scorsetti, director of the hospital's radiotherapy and radiosurgery department. "In particular, Edge allows us to start new protocols for treating prostate cancer patients in just four daily sessions rather than the six to eight weeks typically required with conventional radiotherapy."

The Edge radiosurgery system enables clinicians to attack tumors from outside the body using carefully shaped high-energy X-rays.  There are no incisions and patients contend with few of the healing, pain, and recovery issues typically associated with conventional surgery.  Targeting precision is enabled by Varian's Calypso® "GPS for the Body" system for tracking tumor position in real time.  The system can alert clinicians if a patient has moved in a way that could compromise treatment accuracy. A sophisticated treatment couch with six axes of motion enhances treatment options and precision by providing additional angles for targeting tumors.

"In addition to enabling us to introduce new treatment protocols for prostate cancer patients, Edge Radiosurgery in combination with the Calypso system allows us to treat lung lesions more precisely by tracking the tumor in real time during treatment delivery," adds Stefano Tomatis, head of radiotherapy physics at Humanitas Cancer Center. "Edge can also be used to treat small lesions very close to critical organs such as near optical nerves and brain stems."

"We are pleased to be working with leading clinicians at Humanitas to pioneer and implement Edge Radiosurgery here," says Rolf Staehelin, head of international marketing for Varian Medical Systems. "We believe this system will prove to be an effective tool for performing cancer surgery with no knife." 

Humanitas Cancer Center's department of radiotherapy and radiosurgery treats patients using five Varian linear accelerators, including advanced TrueBeam™ and TrueBeam STx systems as well as the new Edge Radiosurgery device. Clinicians from Humanitas, as well as other early adopters of the technology, will present results from initial Edge Radiosurgery treatments for lung, brain, spine and liver tumors at the Varian 'Cutting Edge' symposium at the ESTRO (European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) show on April 6^th. 

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

Calypso Implanted Beacon transponders are not available in all markets, including the U.S.  Other features and products may not be available in all markets. 

Important Safety Information

Implanted Beacon transponders may migrate such that they pass from the patient's body or move to a different location within the body. The most frequent side effects associated with implantation of Beacon transponders are typically temporary and may include, but are not limited to, pain, bleeding, infection and in the case of lung implantation, pneumothorax. In some patients, these side effects may be serious. Use of the Calypso System and its associated Beacon transponders is not appropriate for all patients. Use of the Surface Beacon transponder for patient setup without correlation to an independent alignment method may lead to patient mis‐localization.

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, digital detectors, and image processing workstations 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 6,400 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