Powerful Technology for the Non-Invasive Treatment of Cancer on Display at the 45th Annual Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Meeting in
Novalis Tx performs stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), a form of non-invasive radiosurgery that uses precisely-shaped and targeted radiation beams to treat tumors and non-malignant growths from outside the body.
"Novalis Tx is a versatile device for performing fast, noninvasive, image-guided radiosurgery," says
Early studies comparing SBRT with conventional radiotherapy - the treatment that is most often prescribed for patients with inoperable lung tumors - suggest that SBRT can result in a better survival rate. Only 10-30 percent of inoperable lung cancer patients who receive conventional radiotherapy survive for five years. While five-year data is not yet available for SBRT, the survival rate at three years has ranged from 54 to 91 percent. These results have encouraged the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), a multi-institutional, international organization that coordinates clinical research in radiation oncology, to sponsor a phase II trial of stereotactic body radiosurgery for the treatment of early-stage lung cancer--both operable and inoperable.
"Preliminary studies suggest that stereotactic body radiation offers us a good chance of achieving 85 to 90 percent local tumor control rates in the treatment of early-stage lung cancer," says
About the Novalis Tx Platform
The Novalis Tx platform combines the most advanced technologies available from Varian Medical Systems, the world's foremost provider of medical devices and software for treating cancer, and BrainLAB, a leader in software-driven medical technologies for precise and non-invasive surgical procedures. It incorporates a powerful linear accelerator, which rotates around the patient to target surgical beams at tumors from virtually any angle. A set of sophisticated image guidance and motion management tools provide clinicians with detailed information about the shape, size, and position of the targeted lesion, guide patient set up and positioning, and monitor motion during treatment.
For surgery on moving tumors in or near the lungs, the Novalis Tx includes devices for fine beam shaping and synchronizing treatment with the patient's breathing patterns.
"Using Novalis Tx, clinics can treat twice the number of patients per day than with any other stereotactic radiosurgery system on the market," says Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "The speed and versatility of this technology make Novalis Tx the most cost-effective solution for offering advanced radiosurgical treatments to lung cancer patients and others who can benefit."
For more information on Novalis Tx, please visit http://www.varian.com/us/oncology/radiosurgery/. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Meeting will take place through
ABOUT BRAINLAB
BrainLAB develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology that enables procedures that are more precise, less invasive, and also less expensive than traditional treatments. Among the core products are image-guided systems that provide highly accurate real-time information used for navigation during surgical procedures. This utility has been further expanded to serve as a computer terminal for physicians to more effectively access and interpret diagnostic scans and other digital medical information for better informed decisions. BrainLAB solutions allow expansion from a single system to operating suites to digitally integrated hospitals covering all subspecialties from neurosurgery, orthopedics, ENT, CMF to spine & trauma and oncology. With 3,000 systems installed in over 70 countries, BrainLAB is a market leader in image-guided technology. The privately held BrainLAB group, founded in 1989, is headquartered in
ABOUT VARIAN MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Meryl Ginsberg, (650) 424-6444 meryl.ginsberg@varian.com
SOURCE Varian Medical Systems