BEIJING, March 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Edge™
radiosurgery suite, a technology system for rapidly delivering
precise, non-invasive surgical procedures in the treatment of
cancer, is among the medical innovations that Varian Medical
Systems (NYSE: VAR) showcases this week at the 27th International
Medical Instruments & Equipment Exhibition
(ChinaMed).
"The Edge radiosurgery system offers clinicians a non-invasive
alternative to traditional surgery. It accurately targets
tumors and other abnormalities without an incision or the need for
recovery in a hospital setting," said Dee
Khuntia, M.D., Varian's vice president for medical affairs
and chief medical officer. "Cancer specialists can use the
Edge system to accurately target tumors of the brain, spine, lung,
and other areas that are typically difficult to treat
surgically."
"We are pleased to introduce the Edge radiosurgery system, and
believe its ability to enable advanced cancer treatment will help
to meet the fast growing demand from Chinese cancer patients and
physicians for strengthened clinical capabilities and better
workflow efficiencies," said Zhang
Xiao, Varian's vice president and managing director of the
greater China region. "We are also
proud that China plays a
significant role in this world-class system by manufacturing
quality modulator components at our Beijing facility, where we have recently
celebrated completion of 3,000 modulator sets manufactured in
China."
As a non-invasive option, radiosurgery use in the United States has been growing steadily
over the last decade for the treatment of cancer and other
conditions that can be appropriately treated with focused
radiation. Predictions are that it will continue to grow as
research accrues about the benefits to patients.1
Radiosurgery involves the use of sophisticated software and
hardware to ablate tumors or other abnormalities with high doses of
radiation while minimizing exposure of surrounding healthy
tissue. The Edge system can complete sophisticated
radiosurgery treatments in just a few minutes—much faster than
earlier generations of technology.
Edge was first unveiled in 2012 in the
United States, and received clearance from the CFDA of
China in 2014. As of
March 2015, Edge systems had been
installed and used at cancer centers in the U.S., United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland. Users have
reported over 1000 patients have now been treated using Edge
technology, for lung, brain, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and
other types of cancer.
Clinicians at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, were the first to use the
Edge radiosurgery system in the United States. They have been
presenting positive studies at the scientific meetings of the
American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the
American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
"Last year, we reported that the Edge radiosurgery system
can deliver dose to a targeted tumor with sub-millimeter accuracy,"
said Salim Siddiqui, MD, PhD,
director of the stereotactic radiosurgery program at Henry
Ford.2 "Compared with many other robot- or
frame-based radiosurgery systems, the Edge is more convenient, more
robust, more versatile, and substantially more
efficient because it can be used to target multiple tumors at
once and can treat anywhere in the body. Moreover, with the
capability to deliver 2400 monitor units per minute, some
treatments can be completed up to four times faster than on other
systems -- a significant benefit for patients."
"The Edge offers multiple advanced imaging modalities,
including on-demand X-ray imaging and 4-D cone-beam CT, for
localization and tracking of the patient's position throughout the
treatment, which has greatly enhanced our confidence in the
accuracy and efficiency of frameless stereotactic treatment," added
Ning Wen, PhD, stereotactic
radiosurgery physics lead. "It has given us a variety of
strategies to take aim at cancer."
Note to editors: High resolution images of Varian's Edge system
for image-guided radiosurgery are available online at this URL:
http://newsroom.varian.com/edge.
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
6,800 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support
offices around the world. The company's center in Beijing encompasses oncology equipment
manufacturing operations, an educational center for radiotherapy
clinical professionals, a customer service center, and X-ray
Products assembly and service. For more information, visit
http://www.varian.com.
1 Pan H. et al. A survey of stereotactic body
radiotherapy use in the United
States. Cancer. Volume 117, Issue 19 (October 1, 2011): 4566-4572
2
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140916162537.htm.
According to product specifications, sub-millimeter accuracy is the
functional capacity of the gantry, collimator, and couch—three
subsystems that work together in the Edge platform to deliver the
treatment.
FOR INFORMATION
CONTACT:
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UNITED
STATES
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CHINA
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Meryl
Ginsberg
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Jiang
Cheng
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Tel:
+1.650.424.6444
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Tel: +86-10-6462 7321
Ext 609
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Mobile:
+1.650-996-7487
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Mobile: +86 138 1037
5840
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meryl.ginsberg@varian.com
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jiangc@RuderFinnAsia.com
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SOURCE Varian Medical Systems