Icon Cancer Centre London delivers a national first with advanced radiotherapy technology

Delivered in September following two months of rigorous commissioning and quality checks, the Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator (radiotherapy treatment machine) employs the complete Varian technology suite alongside Radformation’s AI-powered contouring and adaptive radiotherapy solutions. 

This is underpinned by a suite of advanced technology including 

1. RapidArc Dynamic – state-of-the-art solution that reduces the time taken to plan how to target a patient’s tumour by up to 80%, enabling patients to start treatment in days; as well as reducing radiation exposure to surrounding organs by up to 50%¹,  and designed to improve patient outcomes via highly precise, high-dose radiation. Icon is a global leader in this technology. 
2. HyperArc – fully integrated system to treat multiple metastases in the brain and other intracranial tumours. Icon’s advanced capability in this technology enables up to 35 brain lesions to be treated at once, meaning patients who are incredibly unwell spend less time being treated on the machine but with greater accuracy, sparing healthy brain tissue for less side effects. 
3. HyperSight – advanced diagnostic quality cone-beam CT imaging delivering clearer, faster images that enhance visualisation of a patient’s tumour and anatomy. This enables a patient’s treatment plan to be adapted or updated at every treatment session to account for changes in the tumour and patient’s anatomy – supporting an unprecedented level of treatment precision every single time. 
4. IDENTIFY – real-time surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) uses 3D cameras to track the patient’s body surface during radiation treatment, ensuring precise positioning and automatically pausing treatment based on the patient’s movement, increasing treatment accuracy and eliminating the need for permanent tattoo markings, a sometimes unfriendly reminder of a patient’s diagnosis. 
5. Radformation’s AI and Automation suite  ̶  the full suite of Varian advanced technology is also supported by ChartCheck Adaptive, Radformation’s Offline Adaptive Assessment platform that provides daily evaluation of imaging to identify changes in patient anatomy at each treatment with remarkable efficiency, resulting in greater precision every time the patient is on the machine. This is combined with AutoContour, Radformation’s AI-driven contouring software, which enables treatment plans to be generated at least 60% faster, getting patients on treatment in days. 

These technologies are designed to deliver faster, highly precise, patient-centred care from consult to treatment, setting a new gold-standard in the treatment experience and outcomes for UK patients. 

Enhancing patient experience and outcomes 

Icon Group’s UK Chief Medical Officer, Dr Penny Kechagioglou, said the new technology is a game-changer and is a major step forward for cancer care in London. 

“This technology marks a new benchmark for radiotherapy in the UK,” said Dr Kechagioglou. 

“There is currently an underutilisation of radiotherapy treatment, with fewer than 30% of cancer patients receiving it, less than the global recommended rate of 40 – 50% of cancer diagnosis².

“This is a real win for patients, offering timely access to highly advanced non-invasive radiotherapy designed to improve both patient experience and outcomes.” 

“Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Moments like this fill us with pride because, together, we are making a meaningful difference for people in the UK. By integrating our advanced image-guided and high-precision treatment capabilities, we are helping clinicians deliver treatment with greater precision, consistency, and confidence. This milestone is about more than technology. It is about giving patients access to high quality cancer care and moving closer to a world without fear of cancer,” added Dr. Arthur Kaindl, Head of Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company.  

“Radformation is committed to redefining precision in radiation oncology by making adaptive assessment accessible, efficient, proven, and scalable,” said Kurt Sysock, CEO of Radformation. 

“Being able to partner with Icon demonstrates our joint values of investing in AI powered solutions to improve clinical outcomes for people across the UK.” 

This advanced suite of technology marks a new gold standard in care and will be implemented across Icon’s growing UK footprint, including announced centres in Brighton, Derbyshire and Warwickshire. 

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References 

¹ Siemens Healthineers https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/press/releases/varian-rapidarc-dynamic-solution
²Cancer Research UK https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/03/13/cancer-waiting-times-latest-updates-and-analysis/