Ethos AI-Powered Radiotherapy System Follows Movement of Tumors

Varian has won FDA clearance for its Ethos therapy technology, which the company describes as an Adaptive Intelligence solution for improved tumor targeting during radiotherapy.

Adaptive therapy allows clinicians to target tumors based on imaging performed during treatment sessions. This is important, as the internal anatomy tends to shift and tumors can move away from where they were during prior CT, MR, or PET imaging. Better targeting should help with treatment outcomes while sparing healthy tissues from unnecessary radiation.


The Ethos system provides planning and contouring tools that are powered by artificial intelligence algorithms. Physicians use pre-defined templates and previously acquired images to help the system create a treatment plan that takes into account the therapy goals of each patient. During therapy, Ethos can then be used to correct the plan based on how the tumor shifted and to attack it much more precisely.

“Ethos is the long-awaited solution that puts each patient truly at the center of care,” said Chris Toth, president of Varian Oncology Systems, in a press release. “This solution represents a new chapter in democratized cancer care. With Ethos, on-couch adaptive therapy is no longer an elusive aspiration that is too complex and time-consuming to be practical and too exclusive for most clinics and patients. This is another important step in cancer care that moves us closer to achieving our vision of a world without fear of cancer.''

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