Varian partnership agreement, portfolio of imaging solutions for treatment planning and delivery among highlights
Siemens Healthcare will reinforce its position as a leader in optimized, accurate imaging for radiation therapy treatment planning and follow-up at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiology Oncology (ASTRO), Oct. 28-31 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (Booth #10019). In addition to highlighting its recent strategic global partnership agreement with Varian Medical Systems, Siemens will showcase solutions in computed tomography (CT), molecular imaging (MI), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that facilitate imaging excellence. Those solutions include the SOMATOM Definition AS Open CT system dedicated for radiation therapy planning; the Biograph™ mCT PET•CT system for precise physiologically targeted radiation therapy planning combined with the anatomic clarity of CT; and the MAGNETOM Skyra 3T MR unit with Tim® (Total imaging matrix) Dockable Table and the CIVCO MRSeriesTM Solution. These multi-modality imaging solutions for accurate, precise treatment planning and therapy response monitoring represent Siemens’ high level of innovation and competitiveness in the radiation therapy community – two goals of Siemens’ Agenda 2013 two-year global initiative.
Siemens/Varian partnership agreement
The strategic global partnership between Siemens Healthcare and Varian Medical Systems, which takes effect October 26 in North America following an international rollout earlier this year, provides advanced diagnostic and therapeutic solutions and services for treating cancer with image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery. The Siemens/Varian collaboration covers the mutual marketing and representation of products for imaging and treatment in the global radiation oncology business. This collaboration further includes the development of software interfaces between Siemens and Varian treatment systems. Additionally, the two companies will investigate opportunities for joint development of new products for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery.
Varian will represent Siemens diagnostic imaging products such as CT, PET/CT, and MRI to radiation oncology clinics in North America and in most international markets. Similarly, Siemens will represent Varian equipment and software for radiotherapy and radiosurgery within its offerings to its healthcare customers. This collaboration enables both companies to offer comprehensive solutions to support the entire clinical workflow from imaging to treatment.
Siemens and Varian are also developing interfaces to enable Varian’s ARIA® oncology information system software to support Siemens accelerators and imaging systems, providing clinics with more options for improving workflow and streamlining operations. The collaboration enables Siemens and Varian to co-develop and offer cancer treatment centers new imaging and treatment solutions to utilize both companies’ strengths and technology.
SOMATOM Definition AS Open CT
Excellent image quality is the foundation for precise contouring and accurate radiotherapy treatment planning. The SOMATOM Definition AS Open, Siemens’ CT system dedicated for radiation therapy, offers a diagnostic scan field of view (FOV), a 65 cm HD-FOV with high accuracy and patient geometry for planning purposes, and an 80 cm extended FOV (which equals the full bore size) for scanning the entire patient. The large bore easily accommodates radiotherapy positioning devices for more accurate treatment planning. Moreover, the SOMATOM Definition AS Open delivers diagnostic image quality at low dose (~1cGy), enabling precise contouring for planning while minimizing patient radiation exposure.
Presently the only CT simulator that can be upgraded from its standard 20-slice configuration for greater operational flexibility, patient comfort, or advanced future applications, the SOMATOM Definition AS Open boasts a high-speed acquisition rate that helps to reduce motion artifacts. The CT simulator system has dose-saving features, as well as a table top for simulation that deflects less than 2 mm and can support patients weighing up to 500 pounds. Additionally, Siemens offers unique gating capabilities that track amplitude, phase and/or time, as well as auto-editing software that automatically removes disturbances in the waveform to provide a more optimal data set for treatment planning. Virtual simulation features include localization and contouring, iso-center calculations, reference point management with automatic laser alignment, and beam line and aperture settings.
MAGNETOM Skyra MR with Tim Dockable Table, CIVCO MRSeries Solution
For radiation therapy planning, high-quality CT images are often further enhanced with MR images, which feature excellent soft-tissue differentiation that supports target structure delineation and the identification of at-risk structures. Siemens offers MR solutions that allow a facility to integrate Siemens’ MAGNETOM Skyra 3T MRI scanner into the radiation therapy treatment planning workflow. The solution includes the Tim Dockable Table, which offers flexibility in patient preparation and time slot scheduling. It also features the CIVCO MRSeries Solution to enable precise and reproducible patient positioning.
Biograph mCT PET•CT
Offering PET•CT imaging solutions for a wide range of medical institutions – including large academic hospitals, community hospitals, smaller imaging centers, and emerging markets – Biograph mCT provides facilities with the ability to make excellent progress in cancer diagnosis and precise physiologic-based radiation treatment planning. The Biograph mCT scanner offers unique imaging technologies to ensure precise physiologic information and anatomic clarity from its premium CT solution, which is available in 20, 40, 64, and 128 slices; ultraHD•PET, which combines time-of-flight for additional sensitivity and point spread function characterization for uniform resolution across the entire field of view for more accurate lesion detection and contouring; and HD•Chest, a technology that reduces blur created by respiration during PET•CT studies. Boasting a compact design, Biograph mCT has a large 78 cm bore optimized for patient access, easily accommodating radiotherapy positioning devices for more accurate treatment planning. Additionally, Biograph mCT ensures quantitative accuracy and reproducibility through Quanti•QC with automated daily normalization and calibration; SMART PHS, which has a cantilever bed designed to eliminate deflection and misregistration between CT and PET images; and Accu-Line RT installation for the most accurate image registration. This makes Biograph mCT the best choice for physiologically targeted radiation therapy planning.
mARC software
Bringing modulated arc therapy to Siemens’ ARTISTE linear accelerator, the new mARC software enables precise control of radiation delivery and is up to 65 percent faster than intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), for individual treatment that best suits patient needs. mARC enables continuous gantry motion by alternating beam-on, beam-off periods, with fixed apertures during beam-on periods and modified apertures during beam-off periods; treatment can be resumed at any time on the spot. mARC provides the freedom to create shapes that optimally meet clinical objectives regardless of case complexity. mARC also ensures precise delivery control for smooth quality assurance (QA).
Launched by Siemens Healthcare Sector in November 2011, Agenda 2013 is a two-year global initiative to further strengthen the Healthcare Sector's innovative power and competitiveness. Specific measures will be implemented in four fields of action: Innovation, Competitiveness, Regional Footprint, and People Development.
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 51,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2011 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 12.5 billion euros and profit of around 1.3 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.
