Varian Medical Systems to Showcase Image-Guided Radiotherapy, Radiosurgery, and X-ray Imaging Technologies at Major Medical Meetings in Asia During March, 2010

BEIJING, March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: VAR), the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer with radiotherapy and radiosurgery, will showcase its technology at two medical events in Asia during the month of March:

• 13th Asian Oceanian Congress of Radiology in Taipei (AOCR), March 20-23
• The 22nd International Medical Instruments & Equipment Exhibition in Beijing (ChinaMed), March 26-28

AOCR

At AOCR, for the first time in Asia, Varian will showcase the company's UNIQUE™ linear accelerator—the world's first low-energy radiotherapy system with image-guidance and RapidArc® treatment capabilities. This system was designed to provide cancer patients with standard radiotherapy treatments as well as advanced techniques, including intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), as well as RapidArc.

"UNIQUE takes the advanced capabilities that were developed for our high-energy platforms, and makes them more widely available to offer higher standards of care for more cancer patients," said Alan Tang, Varian's Far East marketing manager. UNIQUE will be manufactured in Beijing, where the company also provides clinical training, in its Beijing Education Center, for medical professionals who treat cancer.  

During the AOCR, Varian will also sponsor a talk by Martin Fuss, M.D., Ph.D., professor of radiation medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, on the topic of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), with a focus on treating tumors of the lung, liver, and spine.  This presentation is scheduled for March 21 at 1:30 p.m.

ChinaMed

Varian will showcase, for the first time in China, the Novalis Tx™ platform for image-guided radiosurgery at this year's ChinaMed exhibition in Beijing.  The Novalis Tx platform, a joint offering from Varian and BrainLAB, offers clinicians an efficient and effective alternative to surgery for cancer and other abnormalities of the brain and body.  It can be used to deliver a spectrum of treatments, from stereotactic radiosurgery—a very fast treatment designed to eradicate a small tumor or lesion in a single session—to longer courses of image-guided radiotherapy, with lower-dose treatments spread out over more sessions.

Varian will also highlight the company's PaxScan® line of flat-panel digital X-ray image detectors, which are used for filmless imaging in medical, dental, and other applications, as well as X-ray tubes for fluoroscopy, angiography, cardiology and CT imaging.   "We offer our customers the largest selection of X-ray tubes from stock in the industry," said Hsiao-Li Pan, manager of Varian's X-Ray Products distribution business in China.  "With our new X-ray service center in Beijing, we are able to provide excellent "after-sales" services for Varian X-ray tubes and flat panel customers."

In addition, Varian will sponsor a clinical technology forum during the ChinaMed event.  Clinicians from Shandong Cancer Hospital in East China, one of China's top public cancer centers, will present clinical information about their use of RapidArc radiotherapy technology.  RapidArc technology delivers a precise and efficient treatment in single or multiple arcs of the treatment machine around the patient, making it possible to complete an advanced image-guided radiotherapy treatment up to eight times faster than is possible with conventional technology.

"Varian is pleased to be showcasing our world-class radiotherapy and radiosurgery solutions at so many events in Asia during the month of March," said Tang.  "This is demonstrative of our ongoing commitment to the region, where we now have not only sales, but also service and manufacturing operations."

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 5,100 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 79 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com.

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems, Inc.