Varian Medical Systems to Showcase Radiosurgery Technology for Non-invasive Treatment of Early Stage Inoperable Lung Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) will showcase radiosurgery technologies for treating early-stage inoperable lung cancer and other conditions non-invasively at the 2012 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) later this week in San Francisco. 

"We're excited about putting our technology in front of pulmonologists who may not be familiar with radiosurgery as a treatment option for early-stage, inoperable lung cancer," said Calvin Huntzinger, M.S., senior director of surgical sciences at Varian.  "Research has been accruing to show that radiosurgery can be a viable option for these patients.[1]  In addition, a major NCI-funded study is under way to see if that viability extends to high-risk operable Stage I lung cancer patients." [2]

Varian will exhibit RapidArc® Radiosurgery on its TrueBeam™ STx system at the meeting.  The technology enables clinicians to precisely target and rapidly treat tumors using finely shaped high-energy X-ray beams. Clinicians who are gaining early experience in the clinical use of RapidArc® Radiosurgery are reporting that this approach can be performed quickly and accurately in the treatment of many thoracic tumors.[3],[4],[5],[6]

The TrueBeam STx system was engineered to enable precise, efficient treatment, two to eight times faster than other radiosurgery machines.  A high-definition multileaf collimator, or beam-shaping device, shapes the dose so that it closely matches the shape of the targeted tumor to minimize exposure of delicate healthy lung tissues and of other nearby organs, such as the heart or spinal cord.

"Radiosurgery procedures in the body have been made possible by a fairly recent convergence of technological innovations that enable precise beam shaping, real-time image guidance, and motion management," says Robert Timmerman, M.D., professor of radiation oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.  Dr. Timmerman will be speaking at the conference on the role of stereotactic body radiation therapy in the treatment of lung cancer. 

"Radiosurgery for lung cancer, which historically has been very difficult to treat, is of growing interest to the members of the American Thoracic Society, as evidenced by the rapid growth of its Section on Thoracic Oncology," Huntzinger said.  "Since last year, the section went from 230 to 505 members, more than doubling in size.  We're delighted to see the heightened interest in thoracic oncology because we want clinicians to know how high precision radiosurgery can be used to treat patients who would have had few or no treatment options before."

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 high-energy X-ray devices for cargo screening and non-destructive testing applications. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 6,000 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's medical devices are indicated to provide stereotactic radiosurgery and precision radiotherapy for lesions, tumors, and conditions anywhere in the body when radiation treatment is indicated. While clinical studies such as those highlighted here may support the effectiveness of Varian's technology when used for radiotherapy or radiosurgery, individual results may vary. There are no guarantees of outcome.

[1] Timmerman R et al. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Inoperable Early Stage Lung Cancer.  JAMA. 2010;303(11):1070-1076. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.261

[2]Phase III Randomized Study of Sublobar Resection With or Without Brachytherapy Versus Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in High-Risk Patients With Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Information is available at the NCI website at the following URL: http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/search/view?cdrid=698986&protocolsearchid=9090456&version=patient.

[3] Palma DA, Senan S, Haasbeek CJ, Verbakel WF, Vincent A, Lagerwaard F. Radiological and clinical pneumonitis after stereotactic lung radiotherapy: a matched analysis of three-dimensional conformal and volumetric-modulated arc therapy techniques. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2011 Jun 1;80(2):506-13.

[4] Ong CL, Verbakel WF, Cuijpers JP, Slotman BJ, Lagerwaard FJ, Senan S. Stereotactic radiotherapy for peripheral lung tumors: a comparison of volumetric modulated arc therapy with 3 other delivery techniques. Radiother Oncol. 2010 Dec;97(3):437-42

[5] Ong CL, Palma D, Verbakel WF, Slotman BJ, Senan S. Treatment of large stage I-II lung tumors using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT): planning considerations and early toxicity. Radiother Oncol. 2010 Dec;97(3):431-6.

[6] Verbakel WF, Senan S, Cuijpers JP, Slotman BJ, Lagerwaard FJ. Rapid delivery of stereotactic radiotherapy for peripheral lung tumors using volumetric intensity-modulated arcs.  Radiother Oncol. 2009 Oct;93(1):122-4.

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Meryl Ginsberg, 650.424.6444
[email protected]

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems