Varian Medical Systems Introduces Fast and Precise Brachytherapy Planning System at GEC-ESTRO in Portugal

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A significantly more accurate* way of calculating the dosimetry of cancer treatments will be introduced by Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) at the GEC-ESTRO exhibition in Porto, Portgual, on May 14-16. BrachyVision™ Acuros™ enables clinicians to rapidly calculate patient doses for brachytherapy treatments (a form of radiotherapy) with an extremely high level of accuracy.

"This is a quantum leap forward in terms of accuracy with timeframes that were previously thought unimaginable," says Sophie Wetherall, Varian BrachyTherapy software product manager. "BrachyVision Acuros offers an improvement in dose calculation that will help clinicians make better decisions about dose to their patients and further their knowledge to make treatments more accurate."

Dose levels for brachytherapy have generally been calculated as if the sources are surrounded by water, whereas in reality a patient's anatomy contains many different materials such as bone, lung, tissue and air, as well as additional materials that are often present from inserted applicators. In the past the only way to account for this was using Monte Carlo calculation techniques, something that was only available as a research tool. Now, for the first time in routine clinical brachytherapy, BrachyVision Acuros is able to account for the dose effects from these variations.

source: Varian Medical Systems

Local Breast Surgeon And Radiation Oncologists Offer New Device That Tracks Radiation

A new sensor device allowing doctors to receive data on the precise amount of radiation being delivered to tumors and surrounding tissue is now being offered at Maury regional Medical Cancer Center. Maury Regional Medical Center is the first in Tennessee to use the technology called DVS® (Dose Verification System) for breast cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment.

John P. W. Brown, M.D., surgeon, inserts a device that is as small as the length of a dime and can be inserted inside the patient's tumor bed in less than 15 minutes. After each radiation treatment, the DVS® provides the radiation oncologists (Dr. Michael Sattasiri and Dr. Joel Kochanski) with a measurement of the actual amount of radiation hitting the target where the malignant tumor was removed. This allows Dr. Sattasiri and Dr. Kochanski to make any necessary adjustments to the prescribed dose during the radiation therapy treatment course, making it more precise. The DVS® sensor wirelessly transmits data to the physician immediately following each radiation treatment.

source: Medical News Today

Varian Medical Systems Introduces Fast and Precise Brachytherapy Planning System at GEC-ESTRO in Portugal

BrachyVision Acuros Enables Superior Dose Calculation with Unmatched Speed

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A significantly more accurate* way of calculating the dosimetry of cancer treatments will be introduced by Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) at the GEC-ESTRO exhibition in Porto, Portgual, on May 14-16. BrachyVision™ Acuros™ enables clinicians to rapidly calculate patient doses for brachytherapy treatments (a form of radiotherapy) with an extremely high level of accuracy.

"This is a quantum leap forward in terms of accuracy with timeframes that were previously thought unimaginable," says Sophie Wetherall, Varian BrachyTherapy software product manager. "BrachyVision Acuros offers an improvement in dose calculation that will help clinicians make better decisions about dose to their patients and further their knowledge to make treatments more accurate."

source: Varian

Lithium May Help Radiation Target Cancer, Spare Healthy Tissue

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators have uncovered a mechanism that helps explain how lithium, a drug widely used to treat bipolar mood disorder, also protects the brain from damage that occurs during radiation treatments.

In the May 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Fen Xia, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues show that lithium promotes DNA repair in healthy cells but not in brain tumor cells. The findings suggest that lithium treatment could offer a way to protect healthy brain tissue from damage that may occur during cranial radiation treatments.

Cranial irradiation is part of standard therapy for both primary and metastatic brain tumors. However, as with all treatment modalities, radiation often causes long-term side effects. In particular, neurological impairments – including lowered IQ, learning difficulties and memory loss – have been reported, especially in children treated for brain cancers. Radiation-induced damage to the healthy cells of the hippocampus, a brain structure crucial for learning and memory, is one likely source of these deficits.

source: Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

International Atomic Energy Agency Challenges Radiotherapy Industry To Produce Cheaper Equipment

The International Atomic Energy Agency today issued a challenge to medical equipment manufacturers, calling for the development of cancer therapy equipment that is robust, portable, easy to use and more affordable.

"Making radiotherapy accessible is a key component in any comprehensive cancer control programme - to make this a reality, it would be heartening to see the development of sturdier and lighter equipment that can be used not only in hospitals in large urban centres, but also in resource-poor settings in the field, for example," said Werner Burkart, IAEA Deputy Director General for the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications.

source: Medical News Today