ISTANBUL, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Turkish cancer patients have gained access to advanced radiotherapy treatments with the arrival of modern medical linear accelerators from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR). Three oncology centers in Istanbul have recently reopened following major renovations, which have involved the installation of Clinac® devices from Varian equipped with RapidArc® radiotherapy technology for fast and efficient treatments.

Newly-equipped radiotherapy departments at the Istanbul University Cerrahpasa Medicine Faculty, the American Hospital MD Anderson Center and the Istanbul University Oncology Institute have all been officially opened by dignitaries including both Istanbul‘s mayor Kadir Topbas and governor Muammer Guler. All three hospitals have begun treatments using the new linear accelerators and plans are underway to initiate RapidArc treatments.

Prof. Dr. Erkan Topuz, manager of the Istanbul University Oncology Institute, said, “We are determined to make Istanbul number one in the world for cancer treatment and the new equipment that we have installed enables us to target tumors precisely and spare more healthy tissues.”

Tolgay Kurt, general manager of Varinak, Varian’s representative in Turkey, says, “Turkey has been investing in its radiotherapy infrastructure and Varian has been selected to supply many of these projects with advanced hardware and software. Health authorities in Istanbul are intent on providing world-class radiotherapy facilities for the growing cancer population.”

For many years, Turkey‘s radiotherapy infrastructure consisted of older Cobalt machines and only about 40 linear accelerators for a population of 70 million people. After considerable private and state investment over the past three years, there are now 110 linear accelerators in operation, with plans to acquire a further 80.

“Within the framework of this national investment, doctors are keen to offer their patients the newest treatment techniques. RapidArc has proven to be a highly preferred option, as the clinical and workflow benefits are clear,” adds Tolgay Kurt.

RapidArc delivers a volumetric intensity-modulated radiation therapy treatment in a single or multiple arcs of the treatment machine around the patient and makes it possible to deliver advanced image-guided intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) two to eight times faster than is possible with conventional IMRT. As well as allowing for a more comfortable experience for patients with less time on the treatment couch, faster delivery also allows for reduced chances of patient motion during treatment, which helps to protect nearby healthy tissue and critical organs.

Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems, +44 7786 526068

About Varian Medical Systems

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world’s leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 5,100 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, China, and Europe and in its 79 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com/

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems, Inc.