Varian’s Newest Linac… What Will Come Next?
There is a buzz in the radiotherapy world about a new linear accelerator in the works from Siemens Healthineer’s Varian Division. The TrueBeam will be 12 years old next year, and a new, dual-energy model from the world’s top linac brand is long overdue. Sure, the Halcyon, introduced five years ago, along with its sister machine Ethos, have helped to propel Varian in recent years, but the TrueBeam is by now the widely used system in the U.S.
The TrueBeam dazzled the radiotherapy world by seamlessly integrating all of the features that made the Varian EX and iX series such a great platform for two decades.
Will Varian’s new linac be a full replacement of the TrueBeam? Will it incorporate many of the new imaging technologies (MR, PET) and treatment modalities (FLASH)? Or will it simply be a faster, more precise, and more efficient way to treat cancer patients? And more importantly, how will Siemens’ influence on Varian be visible on the new product, if at all?
Please share your thoughts and comments, below.
There will be a lot of opportunities, new way to produce MV or MeV. Smaller and different devices for imaging, faster and better (like Ethos), moving collimator and maybe the table during treatment. Imaging and treating in time and reporting applied dose to see, where the dose was applied. And hopefully a integrated system with artificial intelligence from the beginning treating tumor patients with all modalities (Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, Drugs, Laboratory informations, ….)