Varian Medical Systems said it is partnering with Switzerland's Paul Scherrer Institute in a multiyear agreement to develop motion management techniques for intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT).
The pact, aimed at optimizing treatment strategies for oncology indications such as lung, liver, pancreas, and breast cancer, will evaluate strategies using the institute's 3D treatment planning simulator, Varian said.
The Paul Scherrer Institute, which specializes in the development of IMPT techniques and in the treatment of pediatric patients, said it hopes to exploit its methods of simulating clinically realistic organ motion for the study of motion mitigation techniques in spot-scanned proton therapy. The project will use 4D datasets and dose calculations that model patient motion variations that are difficult to capture with conventional datasets, the institute said. Varian's ProBeam proton system was developed in collaboration with the institute.
Treating moving tumors has become an important goal worldwide, Varian said, and the institute's realistic motion techniques will aid in its development of timed dose delivery methods.
