Varian Medical Systems Showcasing New Knowledge-Based Treatment Planning Software for Radiation Oncology

ATLANTA, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ASTRO Booth #1115 -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is showcasing a new knowledge-based software tool designed to expedite creation of complex intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment plans at the 54^th annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) this week. 

Varian's new RapidPlan™ software* will provide clinicians with standard of care models to use as a baseline for developing new IMRT treatment plans for their patients.  IMRT is a type of radiotherapy that focuses precisely on the tumor while minimizing exposure of surrounding healthy tissues.

"RapidPlan will improve the quality and efficiency of treatment planning, much like our RapidArc technology enhanced treatment delivery," says Chris Toth, vice president of marketing for Varian's Oncology Systems business.  "The RapidPlan software will change treatment planning by providing users with access to a knowledge base with standard-of-care models developed by leading practitioners.  The goal is to help increase treatment plan quality and reduce variability without adding time to the planning process."

RapidPlan is a comprehensive tool within Varian's Eclipse™ treatment planning system that may be used to plan virtually every type of external beam radiotherapy, including intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), RapidArc® radiotherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR).   It is seamlessly integrated with Varian's Eclipse™ treatment planning software.

"RapidPlan is designed to be a 'learning system,'" says Corey Zankowski, vice president of product management.  "Clinicians can select their 'best' treatment plans to include in a training set that can be used to create new and improved practice models in the future.  In doing so, sites can customize RapidPlan to reflect their own practices.  The models can also be shared among colleagues within a care network to create a practice standard.  Eventually, as local knowledge bases expand and improve, organizations will be able to share best practices between institutions."

"RapidPlan helps automate an important part of the treatment planning process, in much the same way as our Smart Segmentation™ knowledge-based tool, introduced in 2011, which automates contouring of organs within diagnostic images," says Toth.   "Both tools are designed to allow clinicians to access an extensive body of clinical experience while expediting cumbersome, time-consuming processes."

"We're excited to introduce RapidPlan, and look forward to developing many more tools designed to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of care," says Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business.  "We have launched an initiative that is focused on creating knowledge-driven solutions for the entire oncology continuum from diagnosis through survivorship.  A new team within our organization is working to leverage advanced informatics to unlock the power of collective knowledge."

*FDA 510(k) pending.  Not available for sale. 

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.

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

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems