SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, today announced the installation of the 200th CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System as continued evidence of its acceptance as the world’s leading device for radiosurgery. The milestone system was installed at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in the United Kingdom, the first hospital operated by the National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K. to acquire the CyberKnife device.
Accuray has made significant investment in the clinical and technology areas needed to support its high rate of growth. The total number of publications supporting CyberKnife System use increased from just over 50 publications in the beginning of 2002 to more than 430 publications currently. And as clinical evidence mounts, access to CyberKnife radiosurgery continues to accelerate. From the launch of the first commercially available CyberKnife System in 2003, CyberKnife System installations have grown to now 200 worldwide, with over 50 percent of these installed since January 2007. Also more than 90,000 patients have been treated with over two-thirds of the treatments completed during this same period. Today extracranial use, including prostate and lung, is the fastest growing area for the device, making up more than 50 percent of all cases.
“We celebrate this milestone installation as another step toward expanded patient access to the clinical benefits of the CyberKnife System and as confirmation of the growing market for radiosurgery,” said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Accuray. “Between CyberKnife installations and associated service agreements, the cumulative investment in radiosurgery with the Accuray CyberKnife System totals nearly one billion U.S. dollars.”
Accuray continues to increase support of clinical studies of the CyberKnife System in full body radiosurgery, also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Among the 80 papers published on CyberKnife usage since July, 2009, seven papers reported on the rapidly increasing experience in CyberKnife prostate radiosurgery with two reporting erectile function preservation levels that rivaled historical results of other prostate cancer treatments. Additionally, a global, multi-institution study led by M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX is comparing treatment outcomes of surgery with non-invasive CyberKnife radiosurgery in early-stage operable lung cancer.
“We are very proud to have the first UK NHS installation of Accuray’s CyberKnife System and are excited that we will be able to bring the benefits of CyberKnife radiosurgery to the patients we serve,” said Professor Peter Hoskin, Radiation Oncologist at Mount Vernon Cancer Center. “We decided to purchase this device to add additional capability at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in the field of complex radiation therapy, an area which is growing rapidly. The CyberKnife System will allow us to develop techniques and treatments previously unavailable to our patients.”
The CyberKnife System was first cleared by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999 for the treatment of tumors in the head, neck and upper spine. In 2001, clearance was expanded to include tumors anywhere in the body and was first CE Marked in 2002.
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 deliver more than 90,000 treatments worldwide and currently 200 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 clinical acceptance, clinical benefits, clinical publications, clinical results, and investments in radiosurgery 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 2009 fiscal year, our quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed on May 6, 2010, 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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Euan Thomson, Ph.D.
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SOURCE Accuray Incorporated
