Yangon General Hospital has become the first clinical site in Myanmar to install new technology from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) for treating cancer with radiotherapy. Earlier this month, the hospital unveiled its new medical linear accelerator plus technology for high-dose-rate brachytherapy at a Grand Opening that was attended by Prof. Dr. Pe Thet Khin, Myanmar's Minister of Health.
"We chose Varian technology because it will enable us to upgrade the quality of treatment that we can offer cancer patients in Myanmar," said Professor Soe Oo-Mg, head of the Radiation Oncology Department at Yangon General.
A medical linear accelerator is the key piece of equipment used to generate and deliver the high energy X-ray beams that are used to treat tumors during radiotherapy treatments for cancer. The hospital has acquired a model that is outfitted for intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), which involves using a special beam-shaping accessory that enables clinicians to shape the treatment beam to match the shape and size of the targeted tumor, minimizing exposure of surrounding healthy tissues in order to minimize side effects of treatment.
"This machine is fully capable of delivering high-quality treatments for many types of cancer, and upgradable in the future for addressing a wider range of cases that are more difficult to treat," said Kevin Lo, director of Asia Pacific marketing for Varian.
In addition to the medical linear accelerator, the hospital has also acquired a Varian system for high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, a treatment method for delivering radiotherapy directly to a tumor site from inside the body. HDR brachytherapy involves the temporary placement of a tiny radioactive source directly into the tumor or other targeted area. The volume of tissue that is treated is limited, and the surrounding normal tissue receives little or no radiation.
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