Varian (NYSE: VAR) today announced a 62-year-old male with thyroid cancer was the first patient in Malaysia to be treated on the Varian Halcyon system at Beacon Hospital in Selangor.

Halcyon simplifies and enhances virtually every aspect of image-guided volumetric intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), including improved patient comfort and shortening the time from installation to first-treatment without sacrificing quality. The system is well suited to treat a majority of cancer patients, offering advanced treatments for lung, prostate, breast, head & neck, and many other forms of cancer.

“We are proud to be the first hospital in Southeast Asia equipped with the Halcyon system, and now local cancer patients no longer have to travel abroad to seek advanced cancer care,” said Dato’ Dr. Ibrahim Wahid, medical director and consultant clinical oncologist at Beacon Hospital. “At Beacon Hospital, we strive to provide advanced cancer care to our patients, and we understand the anxiety and fear patients go through during treatment. The speed of treatment with Halcyon combined with the patient-focused features like the ambient lighting in the gantry opening, the integrated sound system and the couch-mounted camera, help alleviate patient concerns.”

“Varian is dedicated to increasing access to advanced cancer care globally,” said Kenneth Tan, president Asia Pacific, Varian. “Halcyon was designed to deliver high-quality treatments and empower clinicians to care for more patients. It is great to see Beacon Hospital now treating patients on the system and offering these advanced treatments to patients in Malaysia.”

Halcyon features a streamlined workflow that only requires nine steps from the start to the end of treatment compared to up to more than 30 steps with older technologies. To assist in the reduction of time and construction costs from installation to first patient treatment, Halcyon offers expedited commissioning, requires less shielding than traditional systems, can fit in the majority of existing small vaults and can be installed in two weeks or less.