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news release:
New Varian/Accel Superconducting Cyclotron Enables
Year-Round Proton Treatments at Leading European Research Institute
Villigen, Switzerland, 22
March 2007: Clinicians at the
Paul Scherrer
Institute in Switzerland have begun clinical treatments using the world's
first commercial superconducting cyclotron for routine medical use, enabling
high-precision proton therapy treatments for a range of cancer patients. The new
cyclotron from Varian Medical
Systems' Accel group is a key component of the equipment and is expected to
facilitate more accurate treatments with fewer side effects.
Two patients with chordomas - bone tumors in the spinal
region - were the first to be treated using protons generated by the new 250 MeV
cyclotron, which is designed for high efficiency, low energy consumption,
high reliability and modern treatment features such as spot scanning, enabling
highly effective proton dose distribution in three dimensions, and beam
intensity modulation.
Dr. Martin Jermann, head of the PROSCAN proton therapy
program at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), said, "The first treatments went
smoothly and we intend to increase the number of patients treated per day to ten
over the next few weeks. The objective of such proton therapy treatments is to
cure the patients and to minimise both short-term and long-term side effects."
The Varian/Accel superconducting cyclotron represents a
dedicated proton source for the PSI equipment, with beam-lines to supply up to
250 MeV protons to the spot-scanning gantry for deep-seated tumor treatments.
PSI operates the world's first and only compact scanning
gantry for proton radiation therapy of deep-seated tumors. The spot-scanning
technique developed at PSI enables malignant tumours to be targeted with high
precision deep inside in the body, and their growth successfully stopped,
without damaging healthy tissue around the target area. Protons have excellent
physical properties for radiation therapy, which enable
clinicians to very precisely control the shape of the dose distribution inside
the patient's body. The depth of the proton beam can be precisely controlled,
which means healthy tissue behind the tumor can be spared as
effectively as adjacent tissue.
Dr. Jermann said that the new
cyclotron would allow the institute's proton therapy facility to operate all
year rather than being limited to just 6-8 months, as was the case with the
department's previous equipment.
"In addition, the beam characteristics and dynamics will allow the development
of advanced scanning features, which should enable us to image and treat moving
tumors in the lung and breast with extremely high
precision," he said.
The Varian/Accel superconducting cyclotron, degrader, beam
line and gantries will enable PSI to maintain and enhance its international
reputation as a unique high-tech laboratory for advanced proton therapy as well
as a leading clinical proton therapy research center. Dr. Jermann added, "In
future, 150-250 patients per year will benefit from advances in deep-seated
tumor therapy at PSI, in addition to the 200-300 eye cancer patients already
being treated, with success rates of more than 98 percent."
Lester Boeh, vice president of emerging businesses for
Varian, said, "This is a real landmark for our proton therapy business and good
news for European cancer patients. Varian/Accel's superconducting cyclotron
enables proton therapy to be delivered in the most accurate, effective and
efficient manner possible and we are delighted that treatments are underway at
PSI."
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, proton therapy, 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 X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial
inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately
3,900 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America and Europe
and in its 56 sales and support offices around the world. In Europe, the company
operates manufacturing and engineering centers in Baden (Switzerland), Crawley
(England), Haan (Germany), Helsinki (Finland) and Toulouse (France) and has
headquarters for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEA) based in Zug,
Switzerland. For more information, visit
About Paul Scherrer Institute
The
Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) is a multi-disciplinary research centre for
natural sciences and technology. In national and international collaboration
with universities, other research institutes and industry, PSI is active in
solid state physics, materials sciences, elementary particle physics, life
sciences, nuclear and non-nuclear energy research, and energy- related ecology.
It is the largest research institute in Switzerland with about 1,200 members of
staff.
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