March 19, 2008 - Varian Medical Systems formed a council to advance the development of clinical protocols using its RapidArc radiotherapy technology, which reportedly provides image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) two to eight times faster than possible with conventional IMRT or helical tomotherapy.
The council members have been working with early versions of the Varian RapidArc system to potentially expand clinical applications for the new treatment method, according to the company. The council would like to develop additional clinical presentations on the new technology for submission to scientific meetings, journals and symposia, and will collaborate with Varian engineers and developers in Switzerland, Finland and the U.S. on future enhancements to the technology.
The council consists of cancer centers in North America and Europe, including researchers and scientists from the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark; CRLC Val d'Aurelle in Montpellier, France; University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland; BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver, Canada; University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center in Baltimore, USA; and University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
For more information: www.varian.com