Accuray Announces Four New Products at Nation's Leading Radiation Oncology Meeting

October 29, 2007 at 3:01 PM EDT

New CyberKnife Technologies Improve Treatment Times, Optimize Planning Objectives and Offer Increased Clinical Flexibility in Radiation Delivery

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today four new products designed to improve treatment times, optimize treatment planning objectives and offer greater clinical flexibility in radiation delivery. These products are being launched at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Los Angeles.

Iris(TM) Variable Aperture Collimator

In radiosurgery, clinicians can define the amount, or dose, of radiation delivered during treatment using a collimator -- a metal radiation blocking device with an opening that dictates the shape and size of the radiation beam. In the past, when clinicians wanted to use multiple collimators to vary the size and shape of their radiation beam it required they manually switch out collimators in the middle of treatment.

With the launch of the CyberKnife System's Xchange(TM) Robotic Collimator Changer at ASTRO 2006, the process of changing collimators became automated, eliminating the need to re-enter the treatment room, which minimizes related treatment delays.

Now the process for using multiple collimators has become even more streamlined with the introduction of the Iris(TM) Variable Aperture Collimator, which no longer requires the removal of a collimator because it can automatically alter the size of its opening to let radiation beams of 12 discreet sizes pass through.

The Iris Collimator allows the CyberKnife System to efficiently deliver different sized beams from each treatment position (as opposed to delivering with one collimator size from many positions, then switching to a new size to deliver from many positions, then switching to the next size and so on). This makes multiple collimator sized treatments much faster, allowing clinicians to safely deliver such a treatment in as little as half the time. The Iris Collimator enables clinicians to create and deliver practical multi-collimator treatments that have greater accuracy, more uniformity and better avoidance of nearby critical structures and healthy tissue than single collimator treatments.

800 MU/min LINAC

Currently the CyberKnife System features a compact linear accelerator capable of delivering 600 monitor units per minute. A monitor unit (MU) is the measure of machine output for a linear accelerator (LINAC) in radiation therapy and radiation dose rate typically is measured in MU/minute.

Accuray is announcing the introduction of an 800 MU/min LINAC, which is capable of delivering higher dose rates of radiation to a tumor, thereby reducing treatment times. This advanced new 800 MU/min linear accelerator system will not only be incorporated into the current CyberKnife offering, it will also serve as the platform for future technologies.

Sequential Optimization Planning Tool

The Sequential Optimization feature is an optimization capability that will now be available as a software option for the MultiPlan(R) Treatment Planning System. The technology allows users to optimize their treatment objectives based on each unique clinical situation using prioritized clinical objectives, instead of the traditional trial and error setting of various constraints to narrow in on an optimized treatment. This enables users to establish their own clinical objectives to achieve high quality, more intuitive treatment planning in a shorter amount of time.

RoboCouch(R) Patient Positioning System with Seated Load The RoboCouch(R) Patient Positioning System with a new seated load capability is a more comfortable and ergonomic treatment couch, developed with mobility challenged patients in mind. The seated load feature offers easier loading and unloading capabilities and provides added comfort for the unique needs of wheelchair bound or disabled patients. Its flexible design has a built in adjustable knee bolster improving patient comfort while also allowing treatments to be performed either with the patient's knees bent and up or in a completely flat table top configuration. In addition, because patients are more comfortable during treatment, the system minimizes patient motion resulting in fewer treatment interruptions.

While these technologies will positively impact CyberKnife treatments across many indications, they are especially important in the treatment of lung and prostate cancer because they offer the flexibility to tailor treatment with different clinical objectives to each patient -- whether the priority is conformality, homogeneity, reduced dose delivery or some combination -- all while reducing radiation dose to the surrounding critical structures. Additionally, the combination of these technologies will improve patient comfort, speed up treatment delivery and planning times, and improve the accuracy of delivered treatments ultimately ensuring that the right dose is delivered to the right place at the right time.

"At Accuray our focus is delivering clinically significant technologies to our current and future CyberKnife System users," said Eric P. Lindquist, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Accuray Incorporated. "At this year's ASTRO, we are delighted to be able to launch these four new innovations that not only better meet our clinicians' needs for faster, more flexible radiation optimization, but also enhance their patients' treatment experience."

About the CyberKnife(R) 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 and with sub-millimeter accuracy. 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 precise, high-dose radiation, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue and eliminating 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 35,000 patients worldwide and currently more than 100 systems have been installed in leading hospitals in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit http://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 regarding procedure growth and market acceptance, clinical studies, regulatory review and approval, and commercialization of products 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 the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007 and may be updated from time to time by 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.

SOURCE Accuray Incorporated
10/29/2007
CONTACT: Stephanie Tomei, Public Relations Manager, +1-408-789-4234,
stomei@accuray.com, for Accuray; or Susan Lehman of Rockpoint Public
Relations, +1-510-832-6006, susan@rockpointpr.com, for Accuray Incorporated
Web site: http://www.accuray.com