Varian Medical Systems obtains FDA 510(k) approval for radiotherapy treatment planning tool

Medical device company Varian Medical Systems has obtained 510(k) approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for RapidPlan, a radiotherapy treatment planning tool designed to enhance quality, consistency, and efficiency in radiotherapy treatment planning.

The company claims that RapidPlan is the first treatment planning tool that uses an evolving knowledge base to increase plan quality while streamlining the treatment planning process.

RapidPlan was approved by the FDA for distribution only in the US and it is not available in other parts of the world.

Varian Medical Systems product management vice president Corey Zankowski noted RapidPlan streamlines the planning process by enabling users to tap into knowledge derived from historical treatment plans.

"It considers the unique characteristics of the current patient and helps to generate a new treatment plan that approaches the optimal in terms of achieving the radiation oncologist’s tumor coverage and normal tissue sparing goals.

"RapidPlan is also a learning system. A group of clinicians can take their best treatment plans and add them to the system for use in creating new, improved practice models for the future. The models can be shared among colleagues within a care network to create a practice standard," Zankowski added.

Varian Medical Systems has showcased RapidPlan for the first time at American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting in Atlanta in September 2013.