Varian radiotherapy systems for three Danish hospitals
22 May 2007 Copenhagen & Herlev, Denmark. Three Danish hospitals will
receive state-of-the-art radiotherapy systems with the installation of new
suites of treatment machines, software and networking systems from Varian
Medical Systems. Radiotherapy centres in Herlev, Copenhagen and Naestved
will receive 14 new Varian linear accelerators, each complete with
accessories and software enabling intensity modulated radiation therapy
(IMRT) and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), over the next 18 months.
The new equipment, to be installed at Herlev Hospital and Rigshospitalet
in Copenhagen, both in the Capital Region, and Hospital South in Naestved,
in the Region of Zealand, will enable the three centres to extend their
intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image guided radiation
therapy (IGRT) programs. Varian’s latest Eclipse treatment planning and ARIA
information management software will be installed at all three sites,
providing the three clinics with an integrated network for fast efficient
treatments that minimize patient waiting times.
All the new Clinac linear accelerators — eight at Herlev, four at
Rigshospitalet and two at Naestved — will come equipped with the On-Board
Imager device for modern, real-time image guidance. IGRT enables clinicians
to pinpoint the position of the tumour at the time of treatment, allowing
more precise treatments and potentially fewer side effects. When the new
accelerators are installed, Rigshospitalet will have 13 Varian treatment
machines, making it one of the largest radiotherapy centres in Europe.
Naestved Hospital, in co-operation with Rigshospitalet, serves patients in
the south of the Zealand region and will act as a key part of the integrated
approach planned for the three cancer centres. Dr Peter Michael Vestlev,
head of radiotherapy at Herlev Hospital, said the clinic’s IGRT program will
advance the precision and quality of cancer treatments. “We are also very
much looking forward to integrating the new software systems,” he added, “so
we can have just one data system for tracking and treating patients.” He
said the department’s seven existing accelerators, one of which is 19 years
old, would be replaced by the new equipment. Herlev Hospital carries out
40,000 radiation treatments per annum, treating 2,500 new patients each
year. Sten Hornsleth, Varian’s Scandinavian regional manager, said, “This
major investment shows the commitment of the Danish government to improving
cancer care and will bring the latest in radiotherapy treatments to the
country’s cancer patients. We are delighted that Varian was selected to
equip these projects and we look forward to providing clinicians at all
three hospitals with the tools to treat their patients as precisely and
effectively as possible.” To top
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