Varian Medical Systems and Siemens Healthcare announced that clinicians at The Ohio State University (Ohio State), USA, are now using Varian software to plan and manage radiotherapy treatments delivered on a Siemens medical linear accelerator. The companies have developed and deployed an interface that connects Varian’s ARIA oncology information system with Siemens’ Oncor and Primus accelerators and imaging systems. This step – as part of the company’s “Agenda 2013” sector initiative – demonstrates once again Siemens Healthcare’s role as a strong partner for imaging systems in radiation oncology.
 
“Since we launched the global strategic partnership with Siemens last year, we have been steadily working to develop software interfaces that enable clinics with Siemens linear accelerators to manage patient care using Varian software,” says Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian’s Oncology Systems business. “With this new interface, we can connect to about 80 per cent of the Siemens equipment in the field. Now the majority of Siemens-equipped sites can choose to adopt ARIA for managing all aspects of care, from initial diagnosis through post-treatment follow-up.”

In March of this year, Siemens received 510(k) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for connectivity between Varian’s ARIA software and Siemens’ Oncor and Primus linear accelerators.

“Developing these interfaces was one of our main goals when we launched our partnership last year,” says Walter Märzendorfer, CEO of Siemens Computed Tomography and Radiation Oncology. “We’re pleased to have now released this interface and completed the first deployment at such a luminary US treatment center. We would like to thank the team at The Ohio State University for valuable clinical input during the interface development process, and for helping our teams identify ways of enhancing the workflow when Varian software is used to manage treatment on a Siemens linear accelerator.”

The deployment at Ohio State marks an important milestone in the two companies’ cooperation. “This demonstrates our commitment to the community of Siemens technology users,” Kennedy says. “It allows us to offer them a seamlessly integrated option for improving workflow and streamlining operations.”  Varian has also launched a special service and support programme to support oncology treatment centers converting to ARIA from other third-party oncology information systems, including the Lantis system from Siemens. The program is designed to provide data conversion, workflow consulting and application training, as well as software connectivity licenses.