Radiation therapy firm Varian Medical Systems has unveiled its TrueBeam platform for image-guided radiation therapy and radiosurgery.
TrueBeam can be used for all forms of external-beam radiation therapy, including image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), image-guided radiosurgery (IGRS), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and RapidArc radiation therapy, according to the Palo Alto, CA-based vendor. It also includes Varian's TrueBeam STx technology for advanced radiosurgery.
TrueBeam can deliver treatments with a dose delivery rate of up to 2,400 monitor units per minute, which is double the maximum output of earlier Varian systems, the company said. Varian has also incorporated "intelligent" automation to speed treatments with an up to fivefold reduction in the number of steps needed for imaging, positioning, and treating patients.
A standard intensity-modulated treatment that would typically take 10 minutes can now be completed in less than two minutes on TrueBeam; complex radiosurgery that typically takes 40 minutes to an hour can be completed in five to 20 minutes, according to Varian.
Varian said TrueBeam's precision is measured in increments of less than 1 mm; more than 100,000 data points are monitored continually as a treatment progresses. TrueBeam also utilizes Varian's new gated RapidArc radiation therapy technique, which compensates for tumor motion by synchronizing imaging with dose delivery during a continuous rotation around the patient.
TrueBeam also features a streamlined treatment console, a newly designed x-ray tube for generating high volumes of conebeam CT images, a treatment couch that can be positioned with submillimeter accuracy, and a nonclinical developer mode designed to facilitate collaboration with oncology leaders, Varian said.
In other Varian news, the company has added new motion management capabilities to its Trilogy platform, including a gated RapidArc radiation therapy technique. The new tools will allow clinicians to monitor and adjust for tumor motion during treatment and to utilize respiratory gating during a RapidArc treatment, Varian said.
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