Home News Icon Group expands cancer care capabilities with purchase of Varian adaptive therapy solution

Icon Group expands cancer care capabilities with purchase of Varian adaptive therapy solution

Icon Writers / 31 Oct, 2019

Australian leading cancer care group becomes first in Asia-Pacific to purchase Varian Ethos therapy Adaptive Intelligence solution

Icon Group, Australia’s largest dedicated provider of cancer care, with a growing reach into New Zealand and Asia, has made a purchase order to further improve the quality of cancer care treatment across its international network. The order includes a significant suite of Varian cancer treatment hardware and software, including the first Asia-Pacific purchase of Ethos™ therapy, an Adaptive Intelligence™ solution. Ethos therapy is an artificial intelligence (AI) driven holistic solution designed to increase the capability, flexibility, and efficiency of radiotherapy.

This significant order also includes the Varian TrueBeam® linear accelerator and Halcyon™ radiotherapy system, as well as the Identify™ Guidance System that aids in the efficient delivery of pinpoint precise radiation treatment. This technology not only delivers precise radiation therapy but can also reduce patient’s emotional stress by eliminating the need for tattoo markings, as well as minimising treatment times.

In September, Varian unveiled Ethos therapy, an innovative new solution for online adaptive therapy. Ethos therapy is designed to deliver customised and optimised treatments to patients, for each and every radiation treatment, adapting to changes in the patient’s internal or external anatomy. This new solution is designed to deliver an entire adaptive treatment in a typical 15-minute timeslot, from patient setup through treatment delivery, compared with other online adaptive solutions that can take more than 40-minutes.

Icon Group CEO Mark Middleton says Icon invests in the latest technology and cancer techniques for the benefit of patients and their families.

“Today’s announcement marks the continuation of our long-term global partnership with Varian to help us deliver a world-class standard of care to our patients across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and China,” Mr. Middleton said.

“We have always been early adopters of technology and will be installing these new solutions across our international network to provide more access to world-class care as we seek to reduce the global cancer burden.”

Varian APAC President, Mr Kenneth Tan said it remains Varian’s focus to bring advanced technology to cancer patients across all communities.

“We are delighted to partner with Icon as they become the first in the APAC region to install the completely new Ethos therapy suite, marking the future of personalised radiation therapy. Through the use of AI, Ethos therapy is designed to allow clinicians to target tumours with more precision, enabling the physician to adapt and deliver personalised radiation dose to every patient at each of their treatment sessions. It will enable physicians to better visualise changes and movement in a patient’s anatomy and adapt the therapy accordingly, limiting radiation dose to surrounding healthy tissue and organs, and providing more treatments options to patients with a wide range of cancers. This partnership is another important step in achieving our vision of a world without fear of cancer,” Mr Tan said.

This investment comes on the back of a number of Icon Group announcements including expansion into Hong Kong, with the acquisition of SunTech Medical Group, and the build of a fully integrated cancer centre at Mt Alvernia Hospital, Singapore. This state-of-the-art centre will be equipped with a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator and the first on the island to use HyperArc™ technology. This centre will become Varian’s regional training hub for radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiation therapists in the Asia-Pacific region.

Icon continues to play a paramount role in the development of radiation oncology treatments and has been an early adopter of technologies, including the first in Australasia to install the Varian Halcyon radiotherapy system and first in Australia to install and treat with HyperArc technology – benefitting patients with multiple tumours in the brain. Icon Group is also a member of the Varian Adaptive Intelligence Consortium, alongside other peak international bodies, to collaboratively develop clinical and technical aspects of Ethos therapy and wider radiation therapy treatments and techniques that will continue to evolve cancer care.

“Being a member of the consortium will allow us to contribute to the ongoing development of Ethos therapy, which will be of great benefit to patients across the world,” Mr. Middleton said.

Icon and Varian will work together to implement this technology package and have it operational over the next 12 months across the Group’s cancer centres in Australia, Singapore and China.

“Through our international network of clinicians and care teams and our innovative treatment solutions and investment in technology, we are equipped to bring more care to more people, closer to where they live, and make a lasting difference to millions of cancer patients,” Mr. Middleton said.

About Icon Group

Icon Group is Australia’s largest dedicated cancer care provider and has expanded globally into Singapore, Mainland China, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

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