Varian's new-generation Halcyon smart radiotherapy system (also known as HyperArc): In the field of tumor radiotherapy, when we talk about "precision,” we mainly refer to two aspects: precision in treatment targeting and precision in treatment dose. It is like a sniper battle — not only must the bullet be powerful enough for a lethal shot, but it must also ensure the bullet can hit the target accurately. Relatively speaking, targeting precision is more important than dose precision, because once off-target, the tumor will not be controlled and serious damage to normal tissue will result.
Varian's new Halcyon smart radiotherapy system has been launched in China this year. Its highlight is achieving 100% image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), thereby locking onto the tumor position throughout the entire radiotherapy process, ensuring the bullet can hit the target accurately. So how exactly does Halcyon achieve this? Let us take a closer look at this milestone in precision radiotherapy — Halcyon.
Keyword 1: Ring Gantry
Through its ring gantry design, Halcyon has achieved improvements in mechanical performance and software algorithm upgrades, realizing 400% gantry rotation speed. Compared with other ring radiotherapy systems, Halcyon not only supports multiple imaging modes including MV and kV imaging, but also requires only a dozen seconds for image acquisition. By mandating IGRT for every treatment, it greatly enhances the precision of radiotherapy. The ring gantry design also significantly increases treatment speed. For example, the dual-arc RapidArc treatment technology enables the gantry to complete two rotations per minute, and the high treatment efficiency alleviates China's severe treatment burden.
Keyword 2: Dual-Layer Multi-Leaf Collimator
Halcyon is innovatively equipped with Varian's unique Gemini dual-layer high-speed multi-leaf collimator system, which adopts a dual-layer staggered design with very low leakage rate. Additionally, the upper and lower layers of leaves can follow each other one-to-one, which reduces the dose at the target boundary. Through these innovative designs,Halcyon there is a significant improvement in plan quality.
Keyword Three: Comfort
For a long time, patient comfort has not been given much attention in radiation therapy equipment.HalcyonFrom the very beginning of its design, thorough consideration was given to patient treatment comfort. First, the gantry adopts a100cmlarge-bore design, which not only avoids limitations in indications but also greatly reduces patients’ sense of claustrophobia.;Second,Halcyonthe treatment couch is equipped with a real-time monitoring system, keeping the patient’s condition under the therapist’s constant surveillance to ensure treatment safety.;Additionally, the unit is equipped with a noise-reducing intercom system, facilitating real-time communication between the patient and the therapist.;Finally, unlike other ring-gantry devices,Halcyonuses a water-cooling design, making the treatment room very quiet, which greatly satisfies patients.
Keyword Four: Intelligence
受Appleinspired by this,Halcyoncompletely abandoned the traditional manual control box, replacing it entirely with a user-friendly button system and touch screen, known as the Blue Light Guidance System. During operation, after each step is completed by medical staff, the button for the next step automatically lights up, making the workflow extremely concise and intuitive, easier to learn, and greatly reducing the occurrence of incorrect button presses.
HalcyonStylish on the outside, even more sophisticated on the inside. It features a built-in machine performance inspection system, and many tasks including morning checksQAcan be automatically completed within minutes, with data easy to compile. With tens of thousands of sensors connected to the network, the system can interact in real time with Varian’s Remote Operations Center, representing a typical application of IoT technology in radiotherapy. Varian after-sales service engineers thousands of miles away can analyze data and issue early warnings before equipment failures occur, significantly improving system uptime.
In terms of equipment performance,Halcyona major distinction from other ring-type radiotherapy systems is that it features globally matched beam data, with inherent data exchange pathways with all other Varian equipment, whether in software or hardware. Achieving this is quite challenging, but the clinical value it brings is immense. It not only greatly reduces the cost of treatment plan modeling, but also ensures that the same treatment plan, when executed on anyHalcyonunit, will achieve the same execution outcome.
Summary:Through the four keywords of ‘ring gantry,’ ‘dual-layer multileaf collimator,’ ‘comfort,’ and ‘intelligence,’ we have exploredHalcyon’s key advantages.:The ring gantry design and dual-layer multileaf collimator together ensure the high precision and high quality of radiation therapy, while intelligent empowerment and the humanistic design are truly impressive. It is believed thatHalcyonwill surely take on the important mission of popularizing precision radiation therapy in China, helping medical professionals create a world without fear of cancer.!