The value of radiotherapy is possibly one of the best-kept secrets in medicine...but, it’s no secret to Varian and the global care teams we’ve collaborated with for decades. For 75 years, Varian has embraced innovation and pioneered technologies that have the power to make a difference—to enhance outcomes—for cancer patients and their families. Radiotherapy has been at the core of this approach, and for good reason.
Radiotherapy is a vital part of the majority of cancer patients’ treatment1, and it has advanced significantly over the past couple of decades—from image-guided and adaptive to stereotactic approaches. And the pace of progress is not letting up. Recent and upcoming innovations in the field are creating new possibilities to enable ever more accurate, precise, effective treatments for cancer.
While advances in the field of radiation oncology are exciting, an effective treatment experience begins long before a patient encounters a radiotherapy system. As we know, when cancer is caught early, it is more likely to be treated more successfully. That means improvements at the start of the cancer journey—at the screening and diagnosis stages—can have tremendous impacts on clinical decision making and outcomes for patients.
This year, in its annual insert in the ASTRO supplement of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (the Red Journal), Varian outlines how, as a Siemens Healthineers company, it is looking beyond the treatment room at how we can work with our colleagues in imaging, diagnostics, healthcare IT, interventional radiology, and other specialties to transform the entire cancer care pathway.
In other words: we are evolving to enable comprehensive cancer care. We are applying our unique capabilities and broad reach to pioneer solutions that anticipate future needs, connect workflows to break down silos, and ultimately, help to optimize patient care, so that the time from diagnosis to treatment can be minimized. By embracing innovation and taking a holistic approach to supporting care teams, our goal is to help clinicians expedite their care decisions.
This year’s insert highlights how Varian is collaborating with colleagues across the whole of Siemens Healthineers to add value along the entire cancer care pathway.