The Edge Radiosurgery System
Technology for high-precision radiosurgery
The Edge™ Radiosurgery System is a set of sophisticated, integrated technologies for planning and delivering high-precision image-guided radiosurgery, a non-invasive alternative to traditional surgery.
Developed by Varian Medical Systems, the Edge system accurately targets tumors and other abnormalities without an incision or the need for recovery in a hospital setting. Its knifelike beam can target tumors of the brain, spine, lung, and other areas that are typically difficult to treat surgically.
The Edge system delivers radiosurgery treatments quickly, while monitoring and compensating for motion through the use of advanced imaging and real-time motion tracking technologies. Motion management makes it possible to minimize the dose to surrounding healthy tissues.
A sophisticated treatment couch with six axes of motion enhances treatment precision by providing many angles of attack for targeting tumors, while minimizing exposure of nearby critical organs. With Varian’s Edge Radiosurgery System, treatments can be performed with ease, precision, and speed—often in just minutes per day. A traditional radiosurgery that typically takes 30 to 60 minutes may be completed in just 5 to 20 minutes using the Edge system.
Why Does Speed Matter?
Faster radiosurgery treatments can be easier on the patient; independent studies have shown that with faster treatments, there is less time for tumor and patient movement.
The Technology
Targeting accuracy is made possible by the system’s sophisticated architecture, which synchronizes imaging, patient positioning, motion management, beam shaping, and dose delivery. The system performs accuracy checks every ten milliseconds throughout the entire treatment.
The advanced on-board imaging enables fine-tuning the patient’s position prior to treatment. The machine rotates around the patient to deliver the treatment beams from nearly any angle.
The treatment beams are sculpted and shaped to match the three-dimensional shape of the targeted tumor. This is accomplished using an important accessory called a multileaf collimator (MLC), a device with 120 computer-controlled mechanical “leaves” or “fingers” that are moved to create apertures of different shapes and sizes. The MLC aperture changes during the course of treatment, to carefully target the tumor and protect surrounding tissues to the greatest extent possible. The Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine’s Edge has a high definition MLC, meaning that the inner leaves of the MLC are narrower (measuring only 2.5 mm in thickness each). This allows for even finer control of the dose to the tumor.
The Benefits of Treatment on the Edge System
Radiosurgery opens the door to treatment for patients who may not have other options. For example, they may not be candidates for traditional surgery or even conventional radiotherapy. Radiosurgery gives medical professionals new tools for treating more types of cancer and other conditions. Radiosurgery treatments on the Edge system are fast and precise. The speed means shorter treatment times, which leads to less interruption of client’s and patients’ daily lives.
Intended Use Summary
Varian Medical Systems’ linear accelerators are intended to provide stereotactic radiosurgery and precision radiotherapy for lesions, tumors, and conditions anywhere in the body where radiation treatment is indicated.
Safety
Radiation treatments may cause side effects that can vary depending on the part of the body being treated. The most frequent ones are typically temporary and may include, but are not limited to, irritation to the respiratory, digestive, urinary, or reproductive systems; fatigue, nausea, skin irritation, and hair loss. In some patients, they can be severe. Treatment sessions may vary in complexity and time. Radiation treatment is not appropriate for all cancers.
