Varian Halcyon Treatment System Receives Shonin Approval

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announced it has received Shonin approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to market in Japan the Varian Halcyon^™ system, its new device for cancer treatment. Halcyon simplifies and enhances virtually every aspect of image-guided volumetric intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

"Since its introduction just a few months ago, Halcyon has received an enthusiastic response from clinicians around the world and we are pleased that it is now available in Japan," said Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "The main goal of the Halcyon development was to increase the availability of cost-effective advanced cancer care worldwide. Achieving Shonin approval is an important milestone in realizing this goal."

Halcyon is an advanced system that was designed to improve patient comfort, simplify operations, and shorten the time from installation to first treatment without sacrificing quality.  Patients benefit from its quiet operating environment, which is up to 2x quieter than other systems. Additionally, Halcyon has a low couch height for easy patient access, and soft indirect ambient lighting in the gantry opening.

Featuring a 100cm gantry opening, which is larger than those on standard CT machines, Halcyon is capable of rotations 4x faster than c-arm gantries for rapid imaging and treatment. The system is also capable of fast and sharp volumetric imaging in as little as 15 seconds. With Halcyon treatments, a complex image guided IMRT plan is clinically accelerated compared to those delivered on traditional devices.

To support the gantry rotation speed, while also delivering the treatment dose precisely to the targeted area, Halcyon features a patented dual-layer multi-leaf collimator (MLC), an innovative new technology. Moving twice as fast as traditional MLCs, the Halcyon MLC has a "stacked and staggered" design that enables advanced treatment techniques. The unique capabilities of the system provide a pathway to adaptive radiotherapy as well as opportunities for research into new treatment protocols

Operationally, Halcyon features a streamlined workflow that only requires nine steps from the start to the end of treatment compared to up to more than 30 steps with older technologies. Halcyon is well suited to treat a majority of cancer patients, offering advanced treatments for prostate, breast, head & neck, and many other forms of cancer.

For more information on Halcyon visit www.varian.com/halcyon.

About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems focuses energy on saving lives and is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating and managing cancer. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Varian employs approximately 6,600 people around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter.

Press Contact

Mark Plungy
Varian Medical Systems
+1 (650) 424-5630
[email protected]

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems

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