The Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre Westmead in Sydney has become the first hospital in Australia to treat a prostate cancer patient using Varian Medical Systems' TrueBeam radiotherapy treatment system.
The Westmead Hospital radiation oncology director Phillip Yuile said the ease of set-up and the rapid delivery take a lot of the pressure off the treatment team, improve patient throughput and enhance treatment precision as patients are less likely to move during treatment.
"This TrueBeam system, as well as offering state-of-the-art treatments, will help us to manage waiting lists more effectively and hopefully bring it down even further," Yuile added.
"We are discovering that treatment is so much faster with TrueBeam, saving time for both staff and patients."
Varian's TrueBeam platform for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery is designed to treat tumours, including moving tumours, with pace and precision.
TrueBeam, designed to advance the treatment of lung, breast, prostate, gynaecologic, liver, head and neck, and other types of cancer, offers up to six energy levels, which will allow doctors to customise treatments based on a patient's specific tumour characteristics.
Varian Australasia sales director Stuart Hamilton said Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre has made a commitment to offer its patients advanced radiotherapy treatments while being mindful of the need to bring down waiting times.
"TrueBeam meets these needs and we are honoured to be working closely with this world-class radiotherapy department," Hamilton added.
The TrueBeam system dynamically synchronises imaging, patient positioning, motion management and treatment delivery, according to Varian.
Image: A 82-year-old prostate patient is the first to be treated using the TrueBeam system at Westmead Hospital's Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre. Photo: Cove mortal.
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