Accuray Introduces the CyberKnife(R) VSI(TM) System

November 1, 2009 at 8:01 AM EST
New Capabilities Extend CyberKnife Treatment Options to Include Robotic IMRT

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today the introduction of the CyberKnife(®) VSI(TM) System, the latest addition to the CyberKnife product family. The new CyberKnife VSI, which stands for versatile, simple and intelligent, is designed to broaden physicians' range of options from radiosurgery to also include conventionally fractionated Robotic IMRT. This enables them to customize their care around the unique needs of each patient, thereby expanding the population of patients that can benefit from the System's unparalleled precision.

Over the years the CyberKnife(®) Robotic Radiosurgery System has established itself as a leader in full body radiosurgery. The CyberKnife VSI System leverages the benefits of radiosurgery -- such as high accuracy and excellent healthy tissue sparing -- and extends them to enable delivery of high-precision radiation therapy. This new CyberKnife capability gives clinicians greater versatility by providing additional options for them to consider when determining the optimal course of treatment for each patient.

CyberKnife VSI System features product enhancements including a world-class 1,000 MU/minute X-band linear accelerator, advanced visualization capabilities, automated segmentation capabilities and logical workflow designed to enhance the physician and patient experience.

With several hundred peer-reviewed publications and a rapidly increasing number of treated patients, the growing community of CyberKnife users are discovering more applications that can benefit from the clinical flexibility and technological edge the CyberKnife System provides.

Clinical Flexibility

From a radiosurgical approach to a conventionally fractionated Robotic IMRT(TM) approach, the CyberKnife VSI System provides the clinician the flexibility to choose the best course of care based on individual patient needs. The CyberKnife VSI System supports this full spectrum of fractionation schemes by enabling simple and convenient treatments that can be completed in routine clinical practice. Treatment times are expected to be comparable to IMRT delivered using a conventional linear accelerator.

Technological Edge

Managing target motion presents one of the most significant challenges in radiation treatment delivery. Unlike other radiation delivery systems, the CyberKnife System offers motion management capabilities that adapt treatment delivery for target motion in real-time using continual image guidance and robotic mobility.

For the treatment of lung tumors, the CyberKnife VSI System can intelligently track respiratory motion in real-time and automatically adapt to changes in the patient's breathing pattern. For prostate cancer, the CyberKnife VSI System can address the unique challenges of random and excessive target motion by using intelligent and adaptive image guidance. These capabilities ultimately result in minimized dose to surrounding healthy tissue and critical structures, minimizing treatment complications and side effects.

"Our continued goal is to provide clinicians with an adaptive and superior treatment delivery system," said Eric Lindquist, SVP and chief marketing officer at Accuray. "CyberKnife VSI offers clinicians the flexibility to choose the treatment regimen they feel is best suited for their patients and further enhances the business case by expanding the number of patients it can treat."

"There is a tremendous need for the capabilities built into the new CyberKnife VSI," said Dwight Heron, M.D., chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UPMC Shadyside. "Depending on each individual patient's case, we will now be able to better tailor care so that the right amount of radiation is delivered to the right place in the right time frame for each patient, all with the same accuracy for which the CyberKnife is known."

For more information on the CyberKnife VSI System please visit: www.accuray.com/products/CyberKnife-VSI-System.

Additionally, a high-resolution image of the CyberKnife VSI System can be downloaded from Accuray's virtual press kit: www.accuray.com/media/virtualpresskit.

About the CyberKnife(®) Robotic Radiosurgery System

The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is the world's only robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors anywhere in the body non-invasively. Using continual image guidance technology and computer controlled robotic mobility, the CyberKnife System automatically tracks, detects and corrects for tumor and patient movement in real-time throughout the treatment. This enables the CyberKnife System to deliver high-dose radiation with pinpoint precision, which minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue and eliminates the need for invasive head or body stabilization frames.

About Accuray

Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a global leader in the field of radiosurgery dedicated to providing an improved quality of life and a non-surgical treatment option for those diagnosed with cancer. Accuray develops and markets the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System, which extends the benefits of radiosurgery to include extracranial tumors, including those in the spine, lung, prostate, liver and pancreas. To date, the CyberKnife System has been used to treat more than 70,000 patients worldwide and currently 180 Systems have been installed in leading hospitals in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.accuray.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

The foregoing may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties associated with the medical device industry. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements relating to commercialization of products, clinical results, and clinical acceptance are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual performance and results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make include: market acceptance of products; competing products, the combination of our products with complementary technology; and other risks detailed from time to time under the heading "Risk Factors" in our report on Form 10-K for our 2009 fiscal year and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company's actual results of operations may differ significantly from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements as a result of these and other factors. We assume 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.

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SOURCE Accuray

Stephanie Tomei, Senior Manager, Marketing Communications, +1-408-789-4234, stomei@accuray.com; or Brianne Donahue, Schwartz Communications, +1-415-817-2545, accuray@schwartz-pr.com