Accuray Unveils Enhanced TomoTherapy Treatment Planning System at ESTRO 31

SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, announced today the availability of VoLO™ Technology for the TomoTherapy® System, a new treatment planning system that leverages advanced graphics processing technology and a new calculation algorithm to increase clinical efficiency, throughput and flexibility in developing even the most complex radiation plans.

The new VoLO solution features high-speed parallel processing for both dose calculation and optimization, based on Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) technology - a "first" for radiation oncology treatment planning. In addition, VoLO represents the first use of a new Non-Voxel Broad Beam (NVBB) calculation algorithm that takes advantage of both the GPU's unparalleled speed and the TomoTherapy Systems unique beamlet radiation delivery system to develop dose distributions from the perspective of each beamlet (up to tens of thousands in any given plan) as they pass through the patient's body. VoLO technology empowers clinicians to create highly personalized treatment plans in less time with greater flexibility, increasing the efficiency of the radiation oncology staff. The technology enhancements provide physicists and dosimetrists with the tools needed to work interactively and in real time to develop the best intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans for even the most complex cases.

"GPU technology is finding application in a variety of scientific disciplines and is well suited for radiotherapy. GPU computing helps facilitate treatment planning for computationally demanding applications by allowing our physicists and dosimetrists to develop plans in less time, thereby increasing the department's overall throughput and maximizing our clinical resources," said David Westerly, Assistant Professor in the department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "The use of GPU technology also promotes greater collaboration and flexibility in the treatment planning process, which in turn ensures that our patients receive the best radiation treatment and cancer care possible."   

"With VoLO, clinicians are able to create optimal patient treatment plans more efficiently, a development that will further improve patient care and allow for more patients to benefit from TomoTherapy treatments," said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Accuray. "The introduction of this advanced treatment planning technology delivers on our promise to continually enhance performance of the TomoTherapy System while strengthening our position as a leader in radiation oncology innovation."

Accuray will also host a lunch symposium during ESTRO chaired by Prof. Eric Lartigau, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France, on Friday, May 11 in room 113/114 from 13:00-14:15. The symposium will include presentations from:

• Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Accuray, Sunnyvale, Calif., who will present the Vision of Accuray,
• Dr. Noelle van der Voort van Zyp, Erasmus MC- Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands who will present on Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Peripheral and Centrally Located NSCLC,
• Prof. Vincent Gregoire, UCL- St-Luc University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium who will present on Adaptive Treatment with TomoTherapy for Head and Neck Cancer: Dream or Reality?,   
• Dr. Nick van As, Royal Marsden, London, UK, Comparative Evidence for Prostate SBRT:  The PACE Study.   

Accuray will showcase the latest enhancements to both its CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery and TomoTherapy Systems, including VoLO Technology, in Booth #1900 at the European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology Annual Meeting (ESTRO 31), taking place May 9-13 in Barcelona, Spain.       

Reporters interested in more information about the TomoTherapy and CyberKnife Systems or in scheduling a meeting with Accuray executives at ESTRO 31 should contact Sophie Baumont at Sophie.Baumont@edelman.com.

About Accuray

Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the premier radiation oncology company that develops, manufactures and sells personalized innovative treatment solutions that set the standard of care, with the aim of helping patients live longer, better lives. The Company's leading edge technologies – the CyberKnife and TomoTherapy Systems – are designed to deliver radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, image guided radiation therapy, and adaptive radiation therapy. To date, 635 systems have been installed in leading hospitals around the world. For more information, please visit www.accuray.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements made in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate, but are not limited, to the anticipated benefits of the VoLO technology, the Company's ability to continue to enhance the performance of TomoTherapy Systems, and the Company's leadership position in radiation oncology innovation. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including risks detailed from time to time under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's reports Form 10-Q for the first, second and third quarters of fiscal 2012. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to the Company at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual performance or results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws.  Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

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Euan Thomson, Ph.D.
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SOURCE Accuray Incorporated

Rebecca Phillips, Public Relations Manager of Accuray, +1-408-716-4773, rphillips@accuray.com; or Helen Shik of Schwartz MSL, +1-781-684-0770, Accuray@schwartzmsl.com