Swiss Cancer Center Begins Advanced Radiotherapy Treatments Using TrueBeam System from Varian Medical Systems

WINTERTHUR, Switzerland, Dec. 13, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading cancer clinic has become the second in Switzerland to begin delivering advanced radiotherapy treatments using the new TrueBeam™ system from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR). More than 30 patients have been treated using the new system for fast, precise radiotherapy and radiosurgery since clinical treatments began at Kantonsspital Winterthur in northern Switzerland.

A 75-year-old man with prostate cancer was the first patient to receive treatment on the TrueBeam system. "This treatment was very fast and it went extremely well," said Dr. Urs Meier, the hospital's head of radiation oncology. "We have subsequently treated patients with CNS tumors, lymphoma and lesions in the head & neck, all with intent to cure."

"TrueBeam enables radio-oncology departments to perform precise image-guided treatments with unmatched speed, thereby allowing a greater number of cancer patients to benefit from advanced techniques in a more timely manner," added Dr. Meier.

Dr. Carlos Calle, lead medical physicist, said, "Thanks to a smooth installation and commissioning process, we were able to begin TrueBeam treatments quickly. It really is an excellent machine with enhanced clinical capability and great usability that helps to streamline our clinical workflow and better serve our patients."

Designed to advance the treatment of lung, breast, prostate, head and neck, and other types of cancer, the TrueBeam platform for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery was introduced by Varian in April as the first fully-integrated radiotherapy system designed from the ground up to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

Kantonsspital Winterthur is a public hospital with a radiation oncology department serving 400,000 patients. Over 850 new patients are treated each year and this is expected to increase by up to five percent per annum. The hospital uses equipment and software from a variety of suppliers but TrueBeam is the first Varian machine installed there, along with Eclipse® treatment planning and ARIA™ oncology information software.

"We plan to consolidate our software environment and replace our second linear accelerator with a TrueBeam system in 2012, as well as consolidating the software environment," adds Dr. Calle. "Our plans also include introducing stereotactic radiosurgery and respiratory gating into clinical routine."

Kantonsspital Winterthur is the second hospital in Switzerland to begin treatments using the TrueBeam system, after Zurich University Hospital, which became the first in the world to commence clinical treatments in April and has since treated more than 130 patients. Hospitals in Milan and Amsterdam have also begun clinical treatments and TrueBeam devices are currently being installed at numerous other European hospitals.

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, 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 5,300 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.

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems, Inc.