PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
"Dear Cancer: You took my mom, but I'm not going to let you get away
with it. I've joined the fight against you. We're gaining ground on you
every day and we're going to win. That's all there is to it. Give up,
Cancer! Because we're not going to stop."
These words are from one of hundreds of letters to cancer now posted on a new website, created by Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) as part of a "Dear Cancer" letter writing campaign to inspire patients, families and friends to beat the disease. Launched this week, the site, at http://www.varianrapidarc.com/, is a place where patients, family members, survivors, and friends can post messages expressing feelings of hope, inspiration, and determination to prevail in the battle against cancer.
Varian, the world's leading supplier of radiotherapy products for treating cancer, will donate $10 to the American Cancer Society for every "Dear Cancer" letter that is posted on the website, up to $100,000.
"Inspiration plays a big role in the fight against cancer," says Tim Guertin, president and CEO of Varian. "As a company committed to helping people beat cancer, we are continually inspired by patients as well as by the doctors who use our technology to help them.
"Cancer is personal. It has touched virtually every one of us," adds Guertin. "We launched the Dear Cancer campaign and website to provide a forum where people can share inspiration with one another, and contribute to the fighting spirit of those who are battling cancer. All people whose lives have been touched are welcome and encouraged to contribute a letter."
In the United States this year, doctors will diagnose over 1,400,000 new cancer cases. People diagnosed today, however, have much more reason to hope than people who battled cancer just 20 years ago. According to the American Cancer Society, death rates from cancer in the United States have decreased by 18.4 percent among men and by 10.5 percent among women since mortality rates began to decline in the early 1990s, which translates to the avoidance of more than half a million cancer deaths (534,500) in the United States. "This achievement has been made possible by technological advances in the medical world with the support of many committed people in companies including Varian Medical Systems," Guertin said.
"In the last two decades, Varian has introduced a host of advances that improved the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer, right up to our newest innovation, RapidArc™ radiotherapy technology, which is rolling out across the country as we speak," says Dow Wilson, president of Varian's Oncology Systems group. "While many factors have contributed to improved rates of survival, including earlier detection, we are proud of the contribution our efforts have made to increasing the chances of beating this disease."
About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes and digital detectors for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 4,800 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America and Europe and in its 60 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com/.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Meryl Ginsberg, Varian Medical Systems 650-424-6444 or meryl.ginsberg@varian.com
SOURCE: Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
CONTACT: Meryl Ginsberg of Varian Medical Systems, +1-650-424-6444,
meryl.ginsberg@varian.com
Web site: http://www.varianrapidarc.com/
http://www.varian.com/