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Varian Medical Systems Reports that the Number of Centers Offering SmartBeam IMRT More than Doubled in 2001

PALO ALTO, California January 8, 2002

The number of cancer centers offering SmartBeam(TM) IMRT, a promising new form of radiation therapy, more than doubled in 2001 according to the Varian Medical Systems 2001 Annual Report published today on the web at www.varian.com/2001annualreport. Clinicians are using sophisticated new equipment and software to treat patients with a ``smart beam" that precisely targets tumors while protecting surrounding healthy tissues.

As of the end of 2001, 92 centers were treating patients with SmartBeam(TM) IMRT, up from 40 in 2000, according to the company, which is the world's leading supplier of radiation therapy systems. The number of centers offering this promising technique has more than doubled in each of the last five years, and hundreds of other centers are equipping themselves with this capability.

"This is the most rapid adoption of a new form of radiotherapy that I have seen in my more than three decades of experience in radiation oncology," said Richard M. Levy, president and CEO of Varian Medical Systems. ``With new reimbursement rates for IMRT, continuing product enhancements, better training, additional published clinical experience, and greater patient awareness, the pace of IMRT adoption is likely to remain rapid."

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, one of the earliest IMRT pioneers, showed that higher radiation doses can significantly improve tumor control rates for early stage prostate cancer patients. They subsequently showed that IMRT makes it safer to deliver those higher, more effective doses, with a reduction in the rate of complication from 10% to 2%. Varian Medical Systems' online 2001 annual report has links to numerous clinical papers on IMRT, a list of treatment centers, and cancer information web sites, as well as text and video interviews with doctors and patients.

IMRT has enhanced the chances of a cure and decreased complication rates for countless cancer patients. Some examples:

It made it possible for Dr. Patrick Swift, medical director, radiation oncology at Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center in Berkeley, Calif., to treat a patient with a nasal tumor with far less risk of causing blindness than would have been possible using other techniques.
Dr. Raj Mallik, at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia, used IMRT to treat a kidney tumor that was wrapped around a patient's spinal cord.
Dr. Jerome Landry of Emory University uses IMRT to treat pancreatic cancer while protecting the sensitive organs such as the spinal cord and small bowel.
Dr. John Russell, at the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, uses IMRT to limit complications in breast cancer patients by minimizing the exposure of their hearts and lungs.
Dr. Arno J. Mundt, at the University of Chicago, is using IMRT to treat gynecological malignancies while minimizing effects on the digestive tract.
Doctors around the country use IMRT to treat prostate cancer while minimizing side effects and complications.

"As IMRT technology is more and more widely adopted, the amount of research into its potential has exploded," said Levy. "Physicians are beginning to treat cancer of the lung, liver, pancreas, as well as juxtaspinal and gynecological tumors using SmartBeam IMRT. Every year there are more IMRT papers and presentations at conferences and meetings." According to the 2001 Varian Annual Report, there were close to 100 IMRT references in scholarly journals in 2000 and 2001, up from 67 in 1999 and 47 in 1998.

Soren Bentzen, Ph.D., head of biostatistics at the Gray Laboratory Cancer Research Trust in London, has predicted that IMRT will replace conventional radiation therapy for most forms of cancer in the next five years.

"I think we're well on our way to widespread adoption of this technique," said Levy. "Our growing market requires effective, fast, efficient, and affordable systems that are simple to learn and operate. SmartBeam IMRT from Varian Medical Systems enables clinicians to treat patients with unmatched precision, safety, speed, and comfort."

A full list of SmartBeam IMRT sites is available on the Internet at www.varian.com/imrt. An electronic version of Varian Medical Systems' 2001 Annual Report, published today, can be viewed online at www.varian.com/2001annualreport.

The following medical facilities are among those that launched SmartBeam IMRT treatment programs during 2001:

Inside the U.S.

Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center, Berkeley, Calif.
Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, Calif.
Erlanger Medical Center, Chattanooga, Tenn.
LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Long Beach, Calif.
Mercy Center/Catholic Health West, Redding, Calif.
Mid-Columbia Medical Center, The Dalles, Ore.
Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, Mobile, Ala.
Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto, Calif.
Rocky Mountain Cancer Center, Colorado Springs and Denver, Colo.
Scripps Clinic, San Diego, Calif.
St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, N.Y.
University of Alabama, Birmingham, Ala.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.
University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.

Outside the U.S.

Centre Hospitalier Regional, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada
Centrum Onkologii-Instytutut, Gliwice, Poland
Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK
National Cancer Center, Singapore
Queen Mary's Hospital, Hong Kong, China
Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Royal Marsden Hospital, Fulham Road Branch, London, UK
Sadeholdon ja Syopatautien Kl., Helsinki, Finland
Sahlgrenska Universitetsjukhuset, Gothenburg, Sweden
University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
San Giovanni Hospital Bellinzona, Switzerland

Varian Medical Systems, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., is the world's leading manufacturer of integrated cancer therapy systems and is a premier supplier of X-ray tubes and flat-panel sensors for imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 2,570 people. The company reported sales of $774 million in its most recent fiscal year ended September 28, 2001. For more information, visit www.varian.com.

This press release contains certain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which provides a "safe harbor" for these types of statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. to differ materially from management's current expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, product demand and market acceptance risks; new product development and commercialization, the impact of managed care initiatives in the U.S. on capital expenditures and resulting pressures on medical equipment purchases; and other risks detailed in Varian Medical Systems, Inc. filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Press Release
SOURCE: Varian Medical Systems

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	Pancreas Cancer News and Archives
		For educational purposes only; not to be relied upon. Please read Pancreatica Disclaimer
	Varian Medical Systems Reports that the Number of Centers Offering SmartBeam IMRT More than Doubled in 2001 PALO ALTO, California January 8, 2002 The number of cancer centers offering SmartBeam(TM) IMRT, a promising new form of radiation therapy, more than doubled in 2001 according to the Varian Medical Systems 2001 Annual Report published today on the web at www.varian.com/2001annualreport. Clinicians are using sophisticated new equipment and software to treat patients with a ``smart beam" that precisely targets tumors while protecting surrounding healthy tissues. As of the end of 2001, 92 centers were treating patients with SmartBeam(TM) IMRT, up from 40 in 2000, according to the company, which is the world's leading supplier of radiation therapy systems. The number of centers offering this promising technique has more than doubled in each of the last five years, and hundreds of other centers are equipping themselves with this capability. "This is the most rapid adoption of a new form of radiotherapy that I have seen in my more than three decades of experience in radiation oncology," said Richard M. Levy, president and CEO of Varian Medical Systems. ``With new reimbursement rates for IMRT, continuing product enhancements, better training, additional published clinical experience, and greater patient awareness, the pace of IMRT adoption is likely to remain rapid." Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, one of the earliest IMRT pioneers, showed that higher radiation doses can significantly improve tumor control rates for early stage prostate cancer patients. They subsequently showed that IMRT makes it safer to deliver those higher, more effective doses, with a reduction in the rate of complication from 10% to 2%. Varian Medical Systems' online 2001 annual report has links to numerous clinical papers on IMRT, a list of treatment centers, and cancer information web sites, as well as text and video interviews with doctors and patients. IMRT has enhanced the chances of a cure and decreased complication rates for countless cancer patients. Some examples: It made it possible for Dr. Patrick Swift, medical director, radiation oncology at Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center in Berkeley, Calif., to treat a patient with a nasal tumor with far less risk of causing blindness than would have been possible using other techniques. Dr. Raj Mallik, at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia, used IMRT to treat a kidney tumor that was wrapped around a patient's spinal cord. Dr. Jerome Landry of Emory University uses IMRT to treat pancreatic cancer while protecting the sensitive organs such as the spinal cord and small bowel. Dr. John Russell, at the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, uses IMRT to limit complications in breast cancer patients by minimizing the exposure of their hearts and lungs. Dr. Arno J. Mundt, at the University of Chicago, is using IMRT to treat gynecological malignancies while minimizing effects on the digestive tract. Doctors around the country use IMRT to treat prostate cancer while minimizing side effects and complications. "As IMRT technology is more and more widely adopted, the amount of research into its potential has exploded," said Levy. "Physicians are beginning to treat cancer of the lung, liver, pancreas, as well as juxtaspinal and gynecological tumors using SmartBeam IMRT. Every year there are more IMRT papers and presentations at conferences and meetings." According to the 2001 Varian Annual Report, there were close to 100 IMRT references in scholarly journals in 2000 and 2001, up from 67 in 1999 and 47 in 1998. Soren Bentzen, Ph.D., head of biostatistics at the Gray Laboratory Cancer Research Trust in London, has predicted that IMRT will replace conventional radiation therapy for most forms of cancer in the next five years. "I think we're well on our way to widespread adoption of this technique," said Levy. "Our growing market requires effective, fast, efficient, and affordable systems that are simple to learn and operate. SmartBeam IMRT from Varian Medical Systems enables clinicians to treat patients with unmatched precision, safety, speed, and comfort." A full list of SmartBeam IMRT sites is available on the Internet at www.varian.com/imrt. An electronic version of Varian Medical Systems' 2001 Annual Report, published today, can be viewed online at www.varian.com/2001annualreport. The following medical facilities are among those that launched SmartBeam IMRT treatment programs during 2001: Inside the U.S. Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center, Berkeley, Calif. Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, Calif. Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, Calif. Erlanger Medical Center, Chattanooga, Tenn. LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Long Beach, Calif. Mercy Center/Catholic Health West, Redding, Calif. Mid-Columbia Medical Center, The Dalles, Ore. Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, Mobile, Ala. Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto, Calif. Rocky Mountain Cancer Center, Colorado Springs and Denver, Colo. Scripps Clinic, San Diego, Calif. St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, N.Y. University of Alabama, Birmingham, Ala. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa. University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. Outside the U.S. Centre Hospitalier Regional, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada Centrum Onkologii-Instytutut, Gliwice, Poland Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK National Cancer Center, Singapore Queen Mary's Hospital, Hong Kong, China Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Marsden Hospital, Fulham Road Branch, London, UK Sadeholdon ja Syopatautien Kl., Helsinki, Finland Sahlgrenska Universitetsjukhuset, Gothenburg, Sweden University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland San Giovanni Hospital Bellinzona, Switzerland Varian Medical Systems, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., is the world's leading manufacturer of integrated cancer therapy systems and is a premier supplier of X-ray tubes and flat-panel sensors for imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 2,570 people. The company reported sales of $774 million in its most recent fiscal year ended September 28, 2001. For more information, visit www.varian.com. This press release contains certain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which provides a "safe harbor" for these types of statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. to differ materially from management's current expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, product demand and market acceptance risks; new product development and commercialization, the impact of managed care initiatives in the U.S. on capital expenditures and resulting pressures on medical equipment purchases; and other risks detailed in Varian Medical Systems, Inc. filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Press Release SOURCE: Varian Medical Systems

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