Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif., has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new accessory to the Clinac[umlaut] linear accelerators. Varian's RPM[ordinal indicator, feminine] Respiratory Gating System compensates automatically and instantly for the impact of respiratory movement on external beam cancer radiation to the chest and abdomen.
Varian says radiation is used in more than half of all cancer treatments because it affords unique clinical advantages, and that radiotherapy has become more effective with new technologies that permit precise dose delivery. The company says that by using its RPM system, the dosage to a tumor can be maximized with reduced effect on healthy tissue. It is applicable to any organ or structure subject to respiration-induced motion such as breast, lung, mediastinum, liver, pancreas and upper abdomen.
* www.varian.com
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