Cancer Patients in South Florida Receive Benefits of Varian Ethos™ Therapy at Holy Cross Health

Cancer Patients in South Florida Receive Benefits of Varian Ethos™ Therapy at Holy Cross Health

Advancing treatment for cancer patients in South Florida, the Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center is now delivering the first Varian Ethos™ therapy Adaptive Intelligence cancer treatments to cancer patients across the region and the Caribbean.

Ethos therapy is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven holistic solution designed to increase the capability, flexibility and efficiency of radiotherapy. This new solution is designed to deliver an entire adaptive treatment in a typical 15-minute timeslot, from patient setup through treatment delivery. With Ethos therapy, changes in the anatomy that occur during the course of treatment are detected and accounted for when administering the targeted radiation.

Radiation Oncologists Lav Goyal, MD and Vivek Patel, MD, began Ethos therapy treatments in February and have treated over a dozen patients using the hospital’s new system. Patients were treated for disease throughout the body including the abdomen, pelvis, and extremities.

Gordon Scherer, a 75-year-old man with cancerous tumors in his prostate and rectum, was among the first patients to receive treatment on Ethos therapy. His tumors were close to the bladder, bones, bowel and other critical structures.

“My friends, all 72 to 80, are all dealing with prostate issues,” Scherer said. “My doctors are going after both the prostate and rectal cancer with radiation. We caught both problems early, making them curable or at least giving me a chance to put them in remission.

This new machine is big and open and short. Your head is sticking out the other side. It’s not like a closet. It’s quiet and fast. The process takes 10-12 minutes. Your name and the treatment plan are displayed. You know it’s your treatment.”

“Every patient deserves access to the best and most personalized cancer care,” said Chris Toth, president Varian Oncology Systems. “Adaptive therapy is the future of personalized radiation therapy and we are excited Holy Cross Health has begun delivering the promises of Ethos therapy. Powered by AI, Ethos therapy will allow doctors and clinicians to adapt and personalize dose to every patient, every day in a typical treatment timeslot. This is a transformational moment for cancer care.”

About Holy Cross Health


A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, non-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been named one of the top 10 hospitals in the Miami metro area in U.S. News and World Report's 2021-22 Best Hospital rankings. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as our community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also encompasses Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 50 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect @holycrossfl on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Varian


At Varian, we envision a world without fear of cancer. For more than 70 years, we have developed, built and delivered innovative cancer care technologies and solutions for our clinical partners around the globe to help them treat millions of patients each year. With an Intelligent Cancer Care approach, we are harnessing advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to enhance cancer treatment and expand access to care. Our 9,200 employees across 70 countries keep the patient and our clinical partners at the center of our thinking as we power new victories in cancer care. Because, for cancer patients everywhere, their fight is our fight. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter.

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