MIOT Hospital Delivers First TrueBeam STx Radiotherapy Treatment in Chennai

CHENNAI, India, July 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cancer treatments have commenced in Chennai using the city's first TrueBeam™ STx system for radiotherapy and radiosurgery from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR). The first patient was a 36-year-old male with rectal cancer who received intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) last week at MIOT Hospital using the fast and precise system.

"Our TrueBeam STx system offers high precision treatments that can be delivered in a very short time," said Mrs. Mallika Mohandes, chairperson of MIOT Hospitals. "Our clinical team already describes it as a 'true hero of radiotherapy'. We currently have long waiting lists in this area and TrueBeam will be very helpful because of its ability to offer higher patient throughout as well as more advanced treatments."   

The system was officially unveiled for media and local dignitaries at an inauguration ceremony at MIOT Hospital last weekend. The deputy high commissioner carried out the ceremony, which was also attended by health ministry officials from Seychelles and Rwanda. 

Early TrueBeam STx treatments at MIOT will focus on head/neck, breast, prostate and lung cancer patients. "TrueBeam STx gives our oncologists the flexibility to deliver multiple high precision treatments while minimizing the time required and, potentially, the inconvenience to the patient," said Mrs. Mohandes.

Varian's TrueBeam was designed to treat tumors with unprecedented speed and accuracy. It features a multitude of technical innovations that dynamically synchronize imaging, patient positioning, motion management, and treatment delivery. With its High Intensity Mode*, TrueBeam machines can deliver very high doses quickly and accurately, more than twice as fast as earlier generations of technology.  The TrueBeam STx is a high-end model optimized for radiosurgical applications, where very large doses are delivered in a single treatment or only a few sessions.

Rolf Staehelin, international head of marketing operations for Varian's Oncology Systems group, said, "Varian is at the forefront in offering advanced systems for radiosurgical and neurosurgical treatments in India and we are delighted to be working closely with MIOT Hospitals as they introduce this ground-breaking technology for the benefit of cancer patients."

The TrueBeam STx at MIOT Hospitals is the first TrueBeam device to be installed in the Tamil Nadu state, which has a population of 70 million people. India has a population of over a billion people and there are an estimated one million new cases of cancer diagnosed in the country each year.

Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems, +44 7786 526068

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, 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 6,100 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.

* High Intensity Mode is not yet cleared in India     

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems