Four advanced radiotherapy treatment systems from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) have been ordered by Institut Curie, one of Europe’s foremost comprehensive cancer centres, to replace older and less capable machines. Institut Curie, which operates at three sites in Paris, is acquiring three Varian TrueBeam™ systems and a Novalis Tx™ machine to extend the range of modern cancer treatments offered to patients.
The largest hospital in the Institut Curie network, located in central Paris, treats patients using five Varian linear accelerators and two of these older machines are being replaced by two TrueBeams. At nearby Saint-Cloud, two older units are being replaced by one new TrueBeam and one Novalis Tx machine, which will enable clinicians at the centre to offer advanced treatments such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and RapidArc® radiotherapy – Varian’s approach to volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) – for the first time.
“These new machines will enable us to develop new techniques at our Saint-Cloud facility while extending the availability of innovative treatments in Paris,” said Dr. Alain Fourquet, head of radiation oncology. “TrueBeam will allow us to optimise dose distribution, positioning and throughput while opening the way to introduce more adaptive radiotherapy techniques to benefit our patients.”
Institut Curie, which treats over 5,000 patients a year with radiotherapy, also comprises the largest cancer research facility in France with laboratories dedicated to fundamental and translational research in biology and physics. Dr. Fourquet said the new TrueBeam systems would also be utilised for clinical research.
Varian’s TrueBeam was designed to treat tumours with great speed and accuracy. It features a multitude of technical innovations that dynamically synchronise imaging, patient positioning, motion management, and treatment delivery and can deliver dose up to four times faster than was possible with earlier generations of technology. Like TrueBeam, Novalis Tx enables clinicians to offer complex radiosurgery by delivering more powerful doses to brain tumours or small metastatic lesions throughout the body in just one to five sessions.
Institut Curie was founded in 1909, the year when the University of Paris and the Institut Pasteur decided to join forces to build the Radium Institute for Marie Curie. This was erected just a few streets away from the “shed” at the School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry where Pierre and Marie Curie had discovered polonium and radium eleven years earlier.
“Institut Curie is world renowned for its excellence in treating and researching cancer and we are honoured to be selected to supply state-of-the-art radiotherapy equipment for such a prestigious establishment,” said Youssef Rihane, Varian’s regional sales director. “These new systems will enable Institut Curie to offer patients the most modern radiotherapy treatments available.”
The new systems, which were ordered in June and July, are due to be installed between the end of this year and early 2014.
