Radiosurgery Platform Provides High-Dose Delivery Rate

A new radiosurgery platform provides a wide range of treatment options for a large number of indications, including malignant and benign lesions, brain metastases, arteriovascular malformations, and functional lesions. It features a very high-dose delivery rate, dynamic ultra-fine beam-shaping, and frameless patient positioning for more rapid, effective, and comfortable treatments.

Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA, USA) and BrainLab AG (Munich, Germany) have taken 14 orders for the new Novalis Tx radiosurgical platform, which combines the most successful technologies from both companies to provide precise, noninvasive treatment options for patients. The orders for the Novalis Tx platform, which was launched in September 2007, include 10 units in the U.S. and 4 in Europe.

"Novalis Tx orders have come in at twice the rate normally seen for any type of radiosurgical device and we are delighted with the early response from the surgical community,” said Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "We have received orders from some of the world's leading surgical and radiotherapy centers as well as from community hospitals that are intent on enhancing their radiosurgical capabilities.”

Jean Hooks, general manager, oncology solutions at BrainLAB, added, "Novalis Tx answers strong demand from the clinical community for a fast, versatile, ultra-precise radiosurgery device that advances current standards of care.

"Novalis Tx has the dose delivery rate, advanced imaging, and high-definition beam-shaping capability needed to offer faster, more precise, more comfortable radiosurgical procedures for our patients, said Fang-Fang Yin, Ph. D., professor and director of radiation physics at Duke University School of Medicine, which is completing the installation of a Novalis Tx.

Unlike other radiosurgical devices, Novalis Tx allows multiple beam energies from 6 to 20 million electron volts for treating deep-seated tumors and sparing surrounding healthy tissue more effectively. Clinics can treat twice the number of patients per day than with other stereotactic radiosurgery systems. "The speed coupled with the precise beam shaping and advanced imaging capabilities make the most advanced radiosurgical treatments more affordable for hospitals and their patients,” added Dow Wilson.

Varian Medical Systems is a leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers, and medical oncology practices.

BrainLAB develops, manufactures, and markets software-driven medical technology that enables procedures that are more precise, less invasive, and 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.


Related Links:
Varian Medical Systems
BrainLab