Varian Further Expands Access to Care in Africa to Address Growing Cancer Burden

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the World Health Organization, the number of new cancer cases diagnosed per year in Africa is expected to grow from over 1 million in 2018 to over 2.1 million in 2040. Continuing its program of expanding access to advanced cancer treatments in Africa to help address this issue, Varian (NYSE: VAR) announced the Halcyon^™ treatment system has been installed at three additional clinics in the region. The Halcyon radiotherapy system was designed to expand the availability of high-quality cancer care globally and help save the lives of millions more cancer patients. 

Halcyon is designed to simplify and enhance virtually every aspect of image-guided volumetric intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), including improved patient comfort and resulting outcomes. The three additional cancer centers that have now installed the treatment system include:

• Centre National d'Oncologie, Nouakchott, Mauritania – The Halcyon system joins a Varian Clinac^® iX radiotherapy system already installed at the center and will provide advanced treatments such as IMRT and VMAT to patients.
• Centre Hospitalier Nganda, Kinshasa, Congo – This installation replaces an older radiotherapy system, and is the only radiotherapy unit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Lagos Teaching University Hospital (LUTH) Lagos, Nigeria – The Halcyon system was installed in a reformed cobalt room as part of a comprehensive three-linear accelerator project and replaces a less advanced system at the center.

"Varian is working closely with its clinical partners across Africa to help address this growing cancer burden," said Chris Toth, president Varian Oncology Systems. "We are proud to see the Halcyon system installed at these centers and bringing much need care to cancer patients."

With the innovations in Halcyon, the system delivers high quality treatments which empower clinicians to care for more patients. Halcyon features a streamlined workflow that only requires nine steps from the start to the end of treatment compared to up to more than 30 steps with older technologies. To assist in the reduction of time and construction costs from installation to first patient treatment, Halcyon offers expedited commissioning, requires less shielding than traditional systems, can fit in the majority of existing small vaults, and can be installed in two weeks or less.

About Varian
At Varian, we envision a world without fear of cancer. For more than 70 years, we have developed, built and delivered innovative cancer care technologies and solutions for our clinical partners around the globe to help them treat millions of patients each year. With an Intelligent Cancer Care approach, we are harnessing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to enhance cancer treatment and expand access to care. Our 10,000 employees across 70 locations keep the patient and our clinical partners at the center of our thinking as we power new victories in cancer care. Because, for cancer patients everywhere, their fight is our fight. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter.

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SOURCE Varian