Tuesday, September 27, 2022
This World Cancer Research Day, Icon Group (Icon) becomes the first international participant in the HyperArc® registry, which is sponsored by Varian, a Siemens Healthineers company (Varian). HyperArc technology allows clinicians to treat tumors with highly conformal doses of radiation therapy. The automated system can even target several tumors in different locations in the brain. The Hyperarc registry will collect patient data for clinical research that will be used to inform and expand treatment options for patients with brain tumors.
Icon was the first care provider in Australia to offer HyperArc technology. The collaboration marks the first research project for Varian's and Icon's global five-year strategic partnership, which includes the development of ongoing clinical and technical research programs to advance cancer care.
The HyperArc registry will contain data collected during and after the course of radiation treatment using HyperArc on a Varian linear accelerator. It helps clinicians understand real-world use cases of HyperArc and evaluate caseloads, processes, and outcomes from treatment techniques. An automated process uploads treatment data to the registry to facilitate clinical research.
Radiation Oncologist and Principal Investigator, Associate Professor Matthew Foote says this registry could help physicians improve patient outcomes.
"We have already started to see the potential of HyperArc to greatly improve quality of life for patients with multiple brain tumors. Previously many of these patients would have had to receive radiation to the whole brain, resulting in undesirable side effects and suboptimal quality of life. Now we can treat up to 20 metastases in one treatment session, with promising results. The registry is another step forward in our ability to analyze real world data to inform treatment pathway decisions and ultimately push the boundaries of this technology to improve patient outcomes and evolve how we treat cancer," said Associate Professor Foote.
The registry will be open across multiple Icon Cancer Centre locations in Australia, with the potential to expand across the group's international network. This multicentre approach will collect anonymized data to evaluate the comparative effectiveness, relative toxicity, and quality of care in a large cohort of patients.
Icon Group CEO, Mark Middleton said, "Icon proudly invests in clinical trials and research to bring tomorrow's treatments closer to today's reality. With global partnerships and clinicians passionate about research, we can activate trials and research programs efficiently and effectively to advance cancer care and ultimately benefit even more cancer patients."
Kevin O'Reilly, President of Radiation Oncology Solutions at Varian, said, "Varian has a broad commitment to supporting clinical research to advance cancer treatment. Collaborating with Icon and their network of clinicians represents an important opportunity to develop clinical evidence, so that care providers can offer optimal treatment to their patients. We value our strategic partnership with Icon, and we look forward to continuing to work together to improve the overall patient experience."
The HyperArc registry will enable Icon to collaborate with other institutions, such as the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is another key participant in the HyperArc registry. The registry is currently enrolling at Icon cancer centers located in Gold Coast University Hospital and Gold Coast Private. The registry will also open at Icon's locations in Canberra, ACT and Queensland centers at Greenslopes and Maroochydore.
