Cancer Center to be the First in Europe to Install a CyberKnife VSI System, the Latest Generation of the CyberKnife System

The Léon-Bérard Center of Lyon, France, is now offering its cancer patients the benefits of Full Body Radiosurgery

SUNNYVALE, Calif., September 1, 2010 – Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, today announced that the first CyberKnife VSI System to be installed in Europe was placed at the Léon-Bérard Cancer Multidisciplinary Center (CLB) in Lyon, France. The CyberKnife VSI System is the newest addition to the CyberKnife product family.

One of France’s leading cancer treatment facilities, the Léon-Bérard Cancer Center,  is a non-profit hospital dedicated to cancer treatment and research located in the Rhone-Alpes, the second largest region in France . The addition of the CyberKnife System to the already well-equipped Radiation Oncology department, – which features five treatment accelerators, one dedicated scanner and one brachytherapy suite, – will expand the range of therapeutic options available to the center’s 2,000 yearly cancer patients.

“We feel strongly that the CyberKnife VSI System will help us deliver not only more typical radiation therapy, but also allow us to treat cancer patients that would otherwise have no other options,” said Christian Carrie, M.D., head of the Radiation Oncology department at CLB. “Although the CyberKnife VSI System has the capacity to deliver conventional fractionation, the main reason we chose this system is for its superior accuracy and efficiency in the treatment of moving targets, in particularly liver and prostate”.

With the CyberKnife VSI System, clinicians at Léon-Bérard will now be able to broaden delivery of high precision radiation therapy and radiosurgery for extracranial indications. This new expertise will increase the range of radiation treatments available at the Léon-Bérard Cancer Center, which already include respiratory gating radiation therapy, extracranial stereotactic radiation therapy, interstitial brachytherapy, intensity modulated conformal radiotherapy (IMRT), and total body irradiation (TBI).

“We are very proud to work with such a prestigious and highly scientific cancer center and announce that patients will soon have access to CyberKnife VSI treatments,” said Guillaume Tetard, Senior Director of Sales, Accuray EIMEA (Europe India Middle East and Africa). “Given the increase in cancer diagnosis in France, now more than ever it is crucial that patients have access to the latest technologies in oncology care. We are confident that as acceptance of the CyberKnife System grows, it will improve cancer care throughout Europe by bringing more therapeutic options to doctors and patients.” 

The CyberKnife System uses real-time tracking and correction capabilities to deliver high-dose radiation to tumors with pin-point accuracy, including tumors that move with respiration or unpredictably due to other normal bodily functions. As a non-invasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous lesions, the CyberKnife System does not rely on sub-optimal techniques such as gating to account for movement, nor does the system require the use of stabilizing head and body frames that are extremely uncomfortable for patients. The target tracking technologies of the CyberKnife System make it an easy and comfortable experience for the patient, while providing industry leading radiation delivery accuracy. Treatments are usually completed in one to five sessions with each session typically lasting between 20-45 minutes.  In most cases, patients can resume their normal activities immediately following treatment.

About Leon-Bérard Cancer Center

The Léon-Bérard Cancer Center is a private, non-profit hospital dedicated to cancer treatment and research. As a leader in its field and a pole of reference for the treatment of cancer in the Rhone-Alpes region (which includes 8 sub-regions: Ain, Ardèche, Drôme, Isère, Loire, Rhône, Savoie, Haute-Savoie), the center is affiliated with the French Federation of Cancer Centers. It also exerts strong influence outside the region, with many patients coming from other regions of France as well as foreign countries to get treated there. It is also important to note that this center has received full, unreserved agreement of the HAS (Haute Autorité de Santé, a French governmental organization aimed at evaluating the quality of services delivered in healthcare facilities around the country).

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 95,000 patients worldwide and currently more than 206 systems have been installed in leading hospitals in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.accuray.com. 

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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 clinical acceptance, clinical benefits, clinical publications, and clinical results 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 2010 fiscal year which has been filed 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.