Varian and Siemens to Showcase Collaborative Offerings at 2013 ASTRO Meeting in Atlanta

ATLANTA, Sept. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) and Siemens Healthcare will showcase a variety of solutions that bring together Siemens' world-class diagnostic imaging technologies with Varian's advanced therapeutic systems for treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and brachytherapy at the 54^th annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) starting here this Sunday. 

Connecting Varian's ARIA® Software to Siemens Linear Accelerators

As part of their EnVision Better Cancer Care global strategic partnership, the two companies will showcase Varian Exchange, a new interface for connecting Varian's ARIA® oncology information system with Siemens' ARTISTE medical linear accelerators.¹

Earlier this year, Varian and Siemens announced an interface that connected ARIA with Siemens' ONCOR and PRIMUS accelerators.  "That first phase of interface development enabled us to connect ARIA with about 80 percent of Siemens treatment machines," said Karla Donohoe, vice president of strategic planning for Varian's Oncology Systems business.  "With this new interface, we will have connectivity available for a full range of Siemens treatment machines, allowing us to offer a seamless solution for using them with ARIA to deliver quality cancer care."

Varian Brachytherapy Powered by Siemens Sliding Gantry Imaging

Varian and Siemens will also showcase the pairing of a Siemens SOMATOM CT Sliding Gantry scanner with Varian brachytherapy technology to enable 3-D image-guided high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy procedures within a single treatment room. 

HDR brachytherapy involves delivering radiotherapy from inside the body by temporarily placing a tiny radioactive source directly into the tumor or other targeted area. Using a robotic device called an afterloader, clinicians place the radioactive source into positions through applicators that have been inserted into the area being treated.

"HDR brachytherapy treatments are planned using anatomical images of the targeted area taken after applicators have been put in place," said Tim Clark, marketing manager for Varian BrachyTherapy.  "The Siemens Sliding Gantry CT is ideal for use right in the brachytherapy treatment room, so the patient doesn't have to be moved to another room for scanning.  It has the potential to minimize patient transport and possible applicator motion, which could compromise accuracy.  Image quality is much superior to what is possible using conventional X-rays or ultrasound imaging."

Respiratory Gating and CT Imaging

Varian and Siemens will also showcase the interoperability of a Siemens' CT scanner with Varian's Real-time Position Management™ (RPM) system. The brand new Biograph mCT Flow PET/CT scanner that Siemens will unveil at ASTRO also works in conjunction with Varian's RPM system.

"The RPM system, when used in conjunction with imaging, enables clinicians to understand how a tumor moves during a treatment," says Donohoe.  "This makes it possible to compensate for tumor motion while planning and delivering radiotherapy treatments in the lung and other parts of the body that are subject to respiratory motion.  By using these technologies together, cancer specialists can design and deliver treatments that minimize exposure of healthy tissues."

Varian and Siemens technology will be showcased in both companies' exhibits at the ASTRO meeting taking place Sept. 22-25 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.  Siemens will be in booth #929; Varian in booth #1115.

¹ Pending FDA clearance and not commercially available in the U.S. Due to regulatory reasons, future availability cannot be guaranteed.

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 6350 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.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

Varian Medical Systems, United States
Meryl Ginsberg, 650.424.6444
[email protected]

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems