EUROPE: Varian’s Argus IMRT Simplifies Use of State-of-the-Art Radiotherapy to Combat Cancer | Varian

{ "pageType": "news-article", "title": "EUROPE: Varian’s Argus IMRT Simplifies Use of State-of-the-Art Radiotherapy to Combat Cancer", "articleDate": "19. August 2004", "introText": "", "category": "Oncology" }

EUROPE: Varian’s Argus IMRT Simplifies Use of State-of-the-Art Radiotherapy to Combat Cancer

Palo Alto, Calif., Aug. 19,2004Varian Medical Systems is making it possible for cancer clinics to implement advanced radiotherapy treatments more easily using new software that automates important quality control steps for busy radiographers. Varian radiation therapy systems make the use of radiotherapy techniques such as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) easier and swifter by integrating software for digital data management and automating quality assurance and regulatory requirements. IMRT is a breakthrough radiotherapy process that enables clinicians to precisely target the radiation dose at the cancerous tumour while protecting surrounding healthy tissue, as well as automatically varying the dose strength to kill the tumour more effectively.

Walter Frei, Varian’s VP, Sales & Marketing Operations Europe, says, “More and more hospitals are starting to treat patients with IMRT but the rate of adoption is sometimes held back by the lack of qualified radiographers and worries over an administrative burden caused by quality assurance and regulatory requirements.”

When used as a regular part of a comprehensive QA programme, the software developed by Argus - which was acquired by Varian - can dramatically shorten the time needed to perform pre-treatment QA, greatly reduce dependence on film-based treatment planning and help organise records for regulatory compliance.

“The Argus software integrates seamlessly with our linear accelerator & the machine that delivers the radiation to provide a complete QA system for a hospital’s IMRT programme,” adds Walter Frei. “This results in time savings, enhanced performance and improved patient care. It’s never been easier or more straightforward for hospitals to offer the most effective available radiotherapy treatment to their patients.”

Dr Chris Nutting, clinical oncologist and chief of the Head & Neck unit at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital, says, “IMRT for larynx cancer increases the quality of radiation delivery.” Dr Nutting and his team are currently carrying out a randomised clinical trial to validate the efficacy of IMRT for all head & neck cancers.
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Argus is a trademark of Varian Medical Systems.
Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems Europe, +44 7786 526068,
neil.madle@varian.com
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