Varian says first patients in Australia treated with Trilogy radiotherapy device

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, March 30 - Varian Medical Systems said Thursday that a three-year-old fibromatosis patient is among the first patients in Australia to be treated on a Trilogy medical linear accelerator.

The treatment took place at the Peter MacCallum Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, where the Trilogy accelerator was recently installed, according to a company news release.

The arrival of the Trilogy device means some of the world's most advanced radiotherapy treatments are now available to Australian cancer patients, the company said.

With this treatment machine, officials said doctors at the center will be able to offer cancer patients of all ages more targeted treatments using new methods including intensity modulated radiotherapy, image guided radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery.

"The Trilogy accelerator is the newest and most sophisticated of cancer treatment machines and will enable patients to receive faster and more precise radiotherapy, which will reduce side effects associated with cancer treatment," Victoria health minister Bronwyn Pike said in the release.

The Trilogy accelerator minimizes the treatment area. For children, that means they are less likely to experience extra problems from exposure of healthy cell tissue to radiation.

The three-year-old from the Melbourne suburb of Melton responded well with few side effects and has now completed her six-week course of radiotherapy treatment.

A fully accessorized Varian Medical Systems Trilogy medical linear accelerator is capable of offering all standard radiation therapies as well as advanced treatments that make it possible to concentrate more dosage on tumors while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. It is expected to help doctors to improve cure rates for patients while reducing treatment complications, officials said.

Varian is a Palo Alto, Calif., manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer with radiotherapy and neurological conditions with radiosurgery. The company also is a leading supplier of X-ray tubes and flat-panel digital subsystems for imaging in medical, scientific and industrial applications.

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