First Patient Treated with HD Radiotherapy System

A new type of radiosurgery treatment called HDRT has been used for the first time to treat a cancer patient.

Clinicians can use the High Definition Radiotherapy (HDRT) treatment to deliver compact radiation doses that more precisely fit the shape, size, and location of tumors. The new treatment also spares surrounding healthy tissue from damage.


The new HyperArc HDRT treatment was development by Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, CA, USA) and was employed for the first time at the Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Cancer Care Center (Negrar-Verona, Italy). Varian Medical Systems is one of the largest manufacturers of medical devices, and software for the treatment and management of cancer.

HyperArc works with the Varian Medical System EDGE, and TrueBeam treatment platforms, and can deliver compact radiation doses that fully saturate a tumor, while minimizing or eliminating radiation damage to surrounding organs. HyperArc treatment delivery has received FDA 510(k), and CE mark clearance.

Director of Radiation Oncology, Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Cancer Care Center, professor Filippo Alongi, said, "HyperArc HDRT allows us to deliver state-of-the-art radiosurgery to highly complex cases efficiently and with a very high degree of dose compactness and conformity. The first patient we treated with HyperArc was a complex case of multiple intracranial metastases and we were impressed with the quality and efficiency of the treatment. We now look forward to following the patient and further using HyperArc to manage the disease."