Varian Medical Systems Announces Symposia on RapidArc Technology for Faster, More Precise Radiotherapy ...( PALO ALTO Calif. Feb. 20 /- Varia...),Health

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) is announcing a series of educational symposia about its revolutionary RapidArc(TM) radiotherapy technology for faster and more precise cancer treatments. These symposia offer clinicians the opportunity to learn more about a technology that makes it possible to deliver image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) two to eight times faster than is possible with conventional IMRT or helical tomotherapy.

"RapidArc represents a major medical advance that will revolutionize the way image-guided IMRT is planned and delivered for thousands and thousands of patients," says Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "Interest in RapidArc is tremendous and we're finding that our radiation oncology clinicians are eager to learn how to implement it in their centers, so we're holding several events including symposia and webinars to address this interest."

RapidArc, which recently received two FDA clearances for the treatment hardware and the treatment planning software module in Varian's Eclipse(TM) treatment planning system, quickly delivers a complete volumetric IMRT treatment in a single arc of the treatment machine around the patient. Varian has started taking orders for RapidArc, and will begin delivering it to customers in the spring of 2008.

"RapidArc should make more precise and faster radiotherapy a more affordable and more accessible treatment option for more cancer patients," says Wilson. "Varian is again providing technology advances that extend the versatility of a treatment system, adding volumetric arc therapy to other advanced capabilities including fixed-beam IMRT, image-guidance and stereotactic
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