Accuray CyberKnife® Robotic Radiotherapy Platform is Superior to Conventional Linear Accelerators in Reducing Incidence of Bladder Side Effects in Prostate Cancer Patients

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) announced today that data from the PACE – Prostate Advances in Comparative Evidence – trial indicate the company's CyberKnife^® robotic radiotherapy platform is superior to conventional linear accelerators in reducing the incidence of late grade two or higher bladder toxicity associated with prostate cancer stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments. The two-year follow-up data presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology annual congress showed that bladder side effects were experienced half as often with CyberKnife SBRT as with conventional linear accelerator delivered SBRT.

Long-term side effects can affect patients for the rest of their lives. Technology that can minimize the risk of these side effects is critical. The PACE data are important because they suggest that men treated with CyberKnife SBRT are less likely to experience long-term side effects that can impact them over the course of their lives compared with men receiving conventional linear accelerator delivered SBRT.

SBRT treatments involve the delivery of very high doses of externally administered radiation over a small number of sessions, offering convenience for patients, compared with conventional radiation therapy which requires substantially more treatment sessions. In the PACE trial, SBRT was delivered in 5 sessions while conventional radiation therapy was delivered in 20 or 39 sessions. SBRT treatments increase patient satisfaction by reducing discomfort and scheduling inconvenience versus conventional radiation treatments and can minimize patient out-of-pocket costs. 

Dr. Alison Tree, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and leader of the Uro-oncology Clinical Trials team at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, who presented the data at ESTRO, said: "Our aim was to understand whether we could safely increase the dose of targeted radiation per day, allowing us to reduce the number of treatments required. This data has shown very promising results that suggest potentially curative prostate radiotherapy can be given with very few side effects for patients with stereotactic body radiotherapy over five days."

Click here to listen to Dr. Tree discuss the PACE trial.

Treating prostate cancer with radiation is challenging: the prostate gland can move as much as 10 mm in as little as 30 seconds in an unpredictable manner, often caused by normal patient bodily functions such as filling of the bladder, gas in the bowel, or even slight patient movement during the procedure. In addition, the prostate is surrounded by sensitive organs and tissues.

When the prostate moves, the CyberKnife^® System, the first and only robotic radiotherapy delivery system, detects this movement and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to synchronize the treatment delivery beam to the prostate's new position in real-time throughout the entire treatment session. This synchronization occurs automatically, making it unnecessary to significantly expand treatment margins or reposition the patient – approaches used by conventional linear accelerators. The CyberKnife^® robot, guided by the Accuray proprietary AI-driven Synchrony^® technology, can deliver radiation from virtually any angle – facilitating the delivery of sub-millimeter accuracy throughout the procedure even as the prostate moves unpredictably. 

"CyberKnife prostate SBRT is supported by the most extensive clinical experience in the industry. The PACE trial adds to the available data and provides further compelling evidence of the difference the technology can make in a patient's life and the value it can bring to a hospital's prostate cancer treatment program," said Jean-Philippe Pignol, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical & technology officer at Accuray.

About the PACE-B Trial
The PACE trial data provides level 1 clinical evidence – the strongest level of evidence on which to guide practice changes. PACE-B is a prospective, randomized trial conducted in 37 centers in the UK, Canada and Ireland, comparing five-fraction stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to conventionally fractionated or moderately hypofractionated external beam radiotherapy (CFMHRT) for localized prostate cancer. The PACE-B trial is funded by Accuray, sponsored by The Royal Marsden and coordinated by the ICR-CTSU at The Institute of Cancer Research, London. Of the 874 patients enrolled, data up to two years on 848 patients treated with radiotherapy were analyzed; 415 receiving SBRT and 433 CFMHRT. Forty-one percent of men treated with SBRT in the study received treatment using the CyberKnife platform.

About Accuray
Accuray is committed to expanding the powerful potential of radiation therapy to improve as many lives as possible. We invent unique, market-changing solutions that are designed to deliver radiation treatments for even the most complex cases—while making commonly treatable cases even easier—to meet the full spectrum of patient needs. We are dedicated to continuous innovation in radiation therapy for oncology, neuro-radiosurgery, and beyond, as we partner with clinicians and administrators, empowering them to help patients get back to their lives, faster. Accuray is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with facilities worldwide. To learn more, visit www.accuray.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

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SOURCE Accuray Incorporated