This week at the 27th International Medical Instruments & Equipment Exhibition (ChinaMed) in Beijing, Varian Medical Systems is showcasing its Edge Radiosurgery Suite for non-invasive surgical procedures. According to Varian, the technology is designed to target tumors precisely via image-guided radiosurgery for cancer treatment.
Edge was first unveiled in 2012 in the United States, and received clearance from the CFDA of China in 2014. As of March 2015, Edge systems had been installed and used at cancer centers in the US, United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland. According to Varian Medical, users have reported that over 1,000 patients have now been treated using Edge technology for lung, brain, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and other types of cancer.
“The Edge radiosurgery system offers clinicians a non-invasive alternative to traditional surgery,” said Dee Khuntia, MD, Varian’s vice president for medical affairs and chief medical officer. “It accurately targets tumors and other abnormalities without an incision or the need for recovery in a hospital setting.”
Varian reports that radiosurgery use in the United States has been growing steadily over the last decade for the treatment of cancer and other conditions that can be appropriately treated with focused radiation. Clinicians at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit were the first to use the Edge radiosurgery system in the United States. They have been presenting positive studies at the scientific meetings of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), according to Varian.
Radiosurgery involves the use of sophisticated software and hardware to ablate tumors or other abnormalities with high doses of radiation while minimizing exposure of surrounding healthy tissue. The company says the Edge system can complete sophisticated radiosurgery treatments in just a few minutes—much faster than earlier generations of radiosurgery technology.
“We are pleased to introduce the Edge radiosurgery system, and believe its ability to enable advanced cancer treatment will help to meet the fast growing demand from Chinese cancer patients and physicians for strengthened clinical capabilities and better workflow efficiencies,” said Zhang Xiao, Varian’s vice president and managing director of the greater China region. “We are also proud that China plays a significant role in this world-class system by manufacturing quality modulator components at our Beijing facility, where we have recently celebrated completion of 3,000 modulator sets manufactured in China.”
For more information about the Edge Radiosurgery Suite, visit the Varian Medical Systems website.
