Varian RapidArc Technology Used with Novalis Tx System for First Time Outside U.S. to Treat Head and Neck Cancer Patient

BERN, Switzerland, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A 51-year old female cancer patient from Switzerland has become the first patient outside the U.S. to be treated with RapidArc™ radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems on a Novalis Tx™ platform for radiosurgery and radiotherapy.

Doctors at Inselspital, the Bern University Hospital, used the Novalis Tx platform from Varian and BrainLAB to treat a patient suffering simultaneous skin cancer of the nose and an aggressive nasopharyngeal cancer with image-guided IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy). The treatment was 'very satisfactory' and compared favourably with conventional treatment techniques, according to Professor Daniel M. Aebersold, chairman of radiation oncology, who said the patient is responding well to the treatment.

Rather than targeting tumors with radiation beams from fixed angles, the Novalis Tx unit with RapidArc capability rotates continuously around the patient performing radiotherapy or radiosurgery several times faster than is possible with conventional techniques.

source: Varian