Varian Medical Systems Introduces World's First Automated Tools for
Real-Time Tumor Tracking and Respiratory Gating During Image-Guided
Radiotherapy


New On-Board Imager Features Receive FDA 510(k) Clearance and Extend
Company's
Lead in Automated Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Varian Medical
Systems, Inc. (NYSE: VAR) today announced it has received FDA 510(k)
clearance
for a new suite of features that have been added to the company's On-
Board
Imager(TM) system for Clinac(R) and Trilogy(TM) medical linear
accelerators
(linacs). With these new capabilities, Varian's On-Board Imager
becomes the
first linac-based kV X-ray digital imaging system that can
synchronize image
acquisition with a patient's respiratory cycle and automate "marker
matching"
for more precise tumor targeting.

The new On-Board Imager features encompass:

-- Automated tumor marker detection. The On-Board imager is the
first
system of its kind to position a patient for treatment
automatically
and quickly by detecting and imaging gold seeds or other
fiducial
markers implanted in a tumor.
-- Monitoring and gating for tumor motion. No other treatment
machine
imaging system can characterize respiratory motion and
automatically
use the information to verify patient positioning and deliver
treatments corrected for tumor motion.

Varian's On-Board Imager was designed to improve the accuracy and
effectiveness of cancer treatments. It is the first robotic,
automated,
clinically-practical system for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT),
enabling clinicians to obtain high-resolution digital images to
pinpoint tumor
sites, adjust patient positioning at the push of a button, and
complete a
treatment, all within the standard treatment time slot.
"By automating marker detection, we are giving clinicians a very
powerful
capability," said Timothy Guertin, president of Varian's Oncology
Systems
business. "Tumors that develop within soft tissue, such as the
prostate, can
be hard to distinguish from the surrounding anatomy. One solution is
for
doctors to implant gold seeds or other markers into the tumor, adding
another
visual landmark. Now, the On-Board Imager can detect variations in
marker
position, and quickly reposition the patient so that the tumor is
directly in
line with the treatment beam. The new tracking and gating
capabilities will
facilitate more accurate treatment of cancer in the breast, lung,
liver, and
other upper abdominal sites affected by respiratory motion."
First cleared by the FDA in February of this year, Varian's On-
Board
imager has been installed at Karolinska University Hospital in
Stockholm,
Sweden; Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; the Henry Ford Health
System in
Detroit, Michigan; and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New
York. An
additional 46 units are slated for installation at cancer centers
worldwide.
"Our plan all along has been to continue adding to the On-Board
Imager's
capabilities," said Richard Levy, Chairman and CEO of Varian Medical
Systems.
"There will be more new features in the future. It is deeply
gratifying to
see technological developments that have been years in the making
coming to
fruition for cancer patients."

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California is the
world's
leading manufacturer of integrated cancer therapy systems, which are
treating
thousands of patients per day. The company is also a premier
supplier of
X-ray tubes and flat-panel digital subsystems for imaging in medical,
scientific, and industrial applications. Varian Medical Systems
employs
approximately 3,160 people who are located at manufacturing sites in
North America and Europe and in its 56 sales and support offices
around the
world. In its most recent fiscal year ended September 26, 2003,
Varian
Medical Systems reported sales of over $1 billion. Additional
information is
available on the company's web site at http://www.varian.com.

Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release regarding future business,
events, plans,
objectives, expectations, estimates, and other similar matters,
including, but
not limited to, statements using the terms "will facilitate," "can
use," "will
be," and "are slated for" constitute forward-looking statements
within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements contained in this press release are
subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially
from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, the risks
described in
the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed from
time to
time by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
These
forward-looking statements represent the Company's judgment as of the
date of
this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update or
revise
these forward-looking statements because of new information, future
events, or
otherwise.

CONTACT: Spencer Sias, +1-650-424-5782, or
spencer.sias@..., or
Meryl Ginsberg, +1-650-424-6444, or meryl.ginsberg@..., both
of Varian
Medical Systems, Inc.



SOURCE Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.varian.com