Developers: | Varian Medical Systems |
Date of the premiere of the system: | May 2017 |
Last Release Date: | April 2018 |
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Halcyon is a system developed by Varian Medical Systems for the treatment of cancer. She uses intensive modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) technology, which redirects high doses of radiation directly into cancer cells, protecting surrounding healthy tissue and thereby reducing dangerous side effects.
2022: Rosatom allocated 228 million rubles to create a Russian analogue of the Varian radiation therapy system
Rosatom allocated more than 228 million rubles to create an analogue of the Varian radiation therapy system, as reported in the Russian state corporation in mid-June 2022. The project as part of Rosatom is being implemented by the Research Institute of Technical Physics and Automation (NIITFA). Read more here.
2020: Plans to launch the production of Halcyon devices in Russia
The Radiotherapy Equipment Factory (part of the R-Pharm Group of Companies) announced on September 3, 2020 to Zdrav.Expert that, under a license agreement with Varian Medical Systems (USA), it will launch local production of the Halcyon radiotherapy system in four versions in the first half of 2021. At the same time, a version of the Halcyon system with optimized imaging due to an integrated system of kilovolt computed tomography in a conical beam (CBCT) will become available on the Russian market. A pilot sample of the device is planned to be collected in the first quarter of 2021. Read more here.
2018: Halcyon version 2.0
On April 19, 2018, Varian Medical Systems released an updated version of the Halcyon cancer treatment system. Introduced in May 2017, the first version of the equipment, according to the manufacturer, has revolutionized almost all aspects of intensive modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The Halcyon 2.0 version includes the functions of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and multiple CBCT, which allows you to study the state of soft tissues in more detail.
The system's technologies focus on advanced treatment practices, improved patient satisfaction, and increased accessibility for healthcare professionals. Halcyon 2.0 is capable of forming a CBCT image in 15 seconds; at the same time, accelerated imaging helps to ensure the correct positioning of the patient and optimizes the cabinet workflow as a whole.
We are extremely pleased with how the global malignancy community has adopted the Halcyon therapeutic system, "said Colin Kennedy, head of cancer therapy at Varian. - Through close collaboration with our clinical partners, we have been able to quickly build an improved version of the Halcyon system by introducing the latest imaging and imaging technologies. |
The new version of Halcyon is designed for high-precision radiation therapy - this innovative technology can be used to treat cancer the prostate, breast, head and neck, as well as many other forms of malignancies, the press release said. The system is intuitive for physicians and patient-friendly: an optimized workflow consists of only nine steps, whereas applying older technologies requires 30 different steps. As of April 2018, the Halcyon 2.0 system is being tested and is not yet available for sale.[1]
2017: First treatment
In September 2017, it became known about the first practical use of the Halcyon system, presented in May 2017.
The treatment was started by a patient who applied to the School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Medicine) in Philadelphia. The total time of the patient's stay in the therapy room, taking into account the time for setting up the equipment and visualization, three minutes of exposure to the bundle and unloading the patient, was 13 minutes.
Varian Medical Systems says treatment when using other radiation systems can take 20 minutes, including 10 minutes of radiation exposure.
According to Colin Kennedy, President of Varian Cancer Systems, the company's close cooperation with Penn Medicine and other institutes has helped the company set up Halcyon for effective treatment, as well as simplify and expand the possibilities of intensive modulated radiotherapy.
This platform combines reduced treatment time and simple work, which allows us to be more accurate with radiation exposure in the case of certain diseases, said James Metz, head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Penn Medicine. |
Halcyon has been tested in the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer. In addition, the novelty is capable of curing breast and cervical cancer, as well as shrinking tumors to facilitate further diagnosis.[2]