RapidArc® radiotherapy technology is a major advance from Varian Medical Systems that improves dose conformity while significantly shortening treatment times. RapidArc delivers treatments two to eight times faster than our fastest dynamic treatments today and increases precision - a winning combination that enables physicians to improve the standard of care and treat more patients.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy

RapidArc is a volumetric arc therapy that delivers a precisely sculpted 3D dose distribution with a single 360-degree rotation of the linear accelerator gantry. It is made possible by a treatment planning algorithm that simultaneously changes three parameters during treatment:

• Rotation speed of the gantry
• Shape of the treatment aperture using the movement of multileaf collimator leaves
• Delivery dose rate.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy differs from existing techniques like helical IMRT or intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) because it delivers dose to the whole volume, rather than slice by slice. And the treatment planning algorithm ensures the treatment precision, helping to spare normal healthy tissue.