Healthcare Industry News: Image-Guided Radiation Therapy
News Release - August 20, 2007
Varian Medical Systems Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Smart Segmentation(TM) Tool That Dramatically Speeds Up Radiotherapy Treatment Planning
PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 20 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR ) has received FDA 510(k) clearance for a "smart" radiotherapy treatment planning tool that will enable clinicians to significantly reduce the amount of time needed to plan advanced treatments, including intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT). The new Smart Segmentation(TM) feature, which has been added to Varian's Eclipse(TM) treatment planning product, is the world's first fully automatic tool that uses intelligent software to identify and outline organs and other structures within diagnostic images of the thorax and male pelvis. Up to now, identifying structures to be irradiated or protected during radiotherapy treatments had to be done by hand."Contouring is an essential and time-consuming step in radiotherapy treatment planning," said Jeff Amacker, business manager for treatment planning systems. "Now, with Smart Segmentation, we can increase treatment plan efficiency by about 30-40 percent."
The Smart Segmentation tool can automatically identify all of the structures of interest in less than 45 seconds. Clinicians can now start the planning process with images that have important anatomical structures already outlined, and simply adjust them according to their clinical judgment. "It's similar to building a house from scratch or remodeling," Amacker said. "Remodeling is generally much faster because you have something to work from."
Varian's Eclipse treatment planning product is a versatile tool that enables clinicians to plan a wide array of radiation therapy treatments including intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), brachytherapy, and proton therapy.
"To make advanced treatments like IMRT, IGRT, and stereotactic radiosurgery clinically feasible on a wide scale, doctors must be enabled to create high-quality treatment plans very quickly," said Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "Varian is committed to developing best in class products that make it easier and faster to offer cancer patients the most sophisticated and customized cancer treatments available."
ABOUT VARIAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California is the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and radiosurgery. The company is also a premier supplier of X-ray tubes and digital image detectors for imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications. The company's high-energy imaging systems are also used for screening cargo. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 3,600 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America and Europe and in its 56 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements in this press release regarding future business, events, plans, objectives, expectations, estimates, and other similar matters, including, but not limited to, statements using the terms "will enable," "we can," and "can now start" constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements contained in this press release are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, the risks described in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed from time to time by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements represent the Company's judgment as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements because of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Source: Varian Medical Systems
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