Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR), a medical device and software manufacturer focused on radiation-based cancer treatment, awarded a $100,000 grant to the American Board of Radiology Foundation to support a national brachytherapy registry.
The registry, the 1st of its kind to collect information on various types of radiation-based cancer treatment from around the U.S., and is a voluntary part of a larger program designed to recognize radiation oncologists and improve patient outcomes through increased awareness.
Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy in which physicians use focused beams to target and shrink tumors while leaving healthy tissue undamaged.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Varian develops medical linear accelerators that treat thousands of cancer patients around the world each day, and its oncology systems unit is the “world’s leading supplier of radiotherapy products for treating cancer,” according to the company’s website.
The company is involved in 100 active radiation-therapy research projects spanning 5 continents as part of a corporate mission, which is to “help save 100,000 more lives each year.”
ABR’s new “Innovation Pathway” is designed to allow physicians to demonstrate support for continuous quality improvement, professional development and quality patient care, according to a press release. Existing “diplomates” in the program can obtain additional credentials in brachytherapy through their voluntary participation.
ABR said the registry could enrich understanding of the use of brachytherapy, current practices and outcomes of therapeutic modality, and could have a national impact on clinical case quality assurance and policy development in radiation oncology.
"Varian is pleased to support this initiative, which will enable accrual of important data that could yield useful information for developing evidence-based treatment protocols," Varian Oncology systems president Killeen Kennedy said in prepared remarks. "As a world leader in radiotherapy treatment technology, including systems for planning and delivering low- and high-dose-rate brachytherapy, we are delighted to see the ABR launching this brachytherapy registry."
