To enable cancer patients in Finland gain access to advanced treatments
Varian Medical Systems (Varian) has introduced RapidArc radiotherapy technology at the only private radiotherapy clinic in the Nordic region. Reportedly, clinicians at Docrates Clinic in Helsinki are using this form of radiotherapy to treat patients with multiple brain metastases and cancers of the abdomen and prostate.
According to the company, RapidArc, which enables clinicians to deliver a precise image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy treatment in one or two revolutions of the treatment machine around the patient, has been delivered using two Varian Clinac iX medical linear accelerators at Docrates Clinic.
The company claims that faster treatments such as those enabled by using RapidArc technology allow for greater precision, since there is less chance of patient or tumor movement during treatment delivery.
Timo Kiljunen, medical physicist, said: “We have treated thirty prostate patients with RapidArc to date and it has achieved excellent dose coverage with low dose to nearby critical organs and healthy tissue. RapidArc is used routinely where pelvic lymph nodes are treated simultaneously with lower daily dose than the prostate and we also use it for metastatic and primary cancers in the abdominal region, such as liver and pancreatic cancers.”
Sten Hornsleth, Scandinavian country manager at Varian, said: “We are delighted to be working closely with Docrates Clinic to bring fast and precise RapidArc radiotherapy technology to Finnish cancer patients for the first time. The speed and efficiency of RapidArc means more patients can gain access to advanced image-guided IMRT treatments while having to spend less time on the treatment couch.”