Varian Edge Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
The latest Varian Edge radiation therapy system represents one of the most advanced and precise platforms for delivering the healing rays of radiotherapy. This technology enables a type of radiotherapy called stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), as well as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), which is a highly effective form of noninvasive cancer treatment for tumors that can be done in as few as a single treatment session while sparing healthy tissue near the tumor.
Make an Appointment
To schedule an appointment with a radiation oncology specialist, call 216-844-3951.
The Varian Edge radiation therapy system targets the DNA in cancer cells and is highly effective at killing those unwanted cells. This breakthrough system utilizes the latest in real-time tumor tracking technology and motion management capabilities to optimize patient safety, comfort and quality of life.
The Varian Edge radiation beam can conform precisely to the size and shape of tumors of the lung, brain, spine, prostate gland, pancreas, liver and other areas of the body. In targeting tumors with a higher degree of accuracy, healthy tissues are spared, which results in fewer side effects than conventional radiation therapy. Varian Edge also delivers its ultra-precise doses of therapeutic radiation in a fraction of the time needed by other common forms of radiation therapy – often in sessions lasting minutes or even seconds.
What Cancers Are Treated With Varian Edge?
Varian Edge is used to effectively treat a wide variety of cancers, including:
- Brain Cancer
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Every cell of the brain is important, so precisely targeting brain tumors to spare healthy tissue is critical to a patient’s health. One of the oldest forms of radiotherapy comes from cobalt radiation sources. This technology is rarely used to treat tumors today, but some centers still use it for the treatment of brain tumors with a system called Gamma Knife. While effective, Gamma Knife may require the use of a rigid frame that must be bolted to a patient’s skull. The treatment sessions can take multiple hours, sometimes spread out over multiple days. With Varian Edge, the treatment sessions deliver equal precision in just a few minutes and usually without the need for a frame, significantly improving the patient experience.
- Lung Cancer
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Because the lungs move when breathing, lung tumors present radiation oncologists with a moving target. Varian Edge’s real-time, high-quality imaging allow radiation oncologists to precisely calculate the movement of lung tumors to target more cancer cells and preserve more healthy tissue. If the tumor moves outside of the treatment area as a result of breathing, the radiation pauses until it returns to the optimal position.
- Prostate Cancer
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Prostate cancer historically was treated with 40 to 45 treatments of radiation therapy over a period of nine weeks. With Varian Edge and other technology we have at the UH Seidman Cancer Center, patients receive as few as 5 short treatments over a period of a week and a half. This shorter treatment protocol minimizes the impact of radiation therapy on the patient’s sexual and urinary health, while providing excellent tumor control outcomes. What’s more, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center participates in clinical trials and other research aimed at further shortening the duration and frequency of radiation therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer.
- Spine Metastases
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Cancer can spread (metastasize) from where it first developed to another organ or part of the body. One of the most common places cancer spreads is to the bones, often the spinal cord. Varian Edge can safely and precisely target tumors in the bones and soft tissue with sessions lasting just a few minutes – and, even better, it is 100% noninvasive.
Benefits of Varian Edge Radiosurgery and SBRT
- Faster radiation delivery/shorter treatment times
- Real-time imaging
- Precise beam shaping
- Increased comfort
- Fewer side effects
Why Choose UH Seidman Cancer Center?
One of the top cancer centers in the country as ranked by U.S. News & World Report for over 20 years, UH Seidman Cancer Center is dedicated exclusively to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and blood disorders. Among our world-class services, we offer an experienced team of radiation oncologists that provide the most advanced treatments and technologies to our patients.
We participate in numerous cancer-related clinical trials, including those dedicated to the development of shorter and more precisely targeted radiation therapies, making tomorrow’s treatments available today.
In one recent trial, we were the first cancer center in the world to use Varian Medical Systems’s latest image guidance system in a clinical setting, a device offering the highest-resolution CT-quality imaging yet achieved in the industry. This advancement empowers radiation oncologists to view a previously unattainable level of detail during the planning stage of radiosurgery to ensure that radiation doses are delivered exactly where they are needed. UH Seidman Cancer Center was part of a U.S. FDA submission (approved in 2023) that enables hospitals and cancer centers throughout the U.S. to use this technology to lengthen and improve patients’ lives.
Make an Appointment
To schedule an appointment with a radiation oncology specialist call
216-844-3951