SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Accuray Incorporated , a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced today that the CyberKnife(R) Robotic Radiosurgery System install base has reached 100 systems. This milestone was reached following the installation at Centre Oscar Lambret in Lille, France. To date, it is estimated that more than 30,000 patients worldwide have been treated with the CyberKnife System, which provides a non-surgical treatment alternative for many cancer patients.
The practice of radiosurgery is growing rapidly worldwide as its clinical applications continue to expand. With the CyberKnife System, radiosurgery is no longer limited to treating intracranial tumors; the system is capable of treating tumors anywhere in the body with sub-millimeter accuracy and minimal side effects. This unique ability has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of extracranial tumor treatments, including those of the spine, lung, liver, pancreas and prostate. In fact, extracranial treatments alone have nearly doubled year over year since the commercial launch of the CyberKnife System in 2002; an increase of more than 1300 percent overall.
“The rate of worldwide adoption for the CyberKnife System has been astounding,” said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Accuray. “The 100th system milestone is just the beginning for Accuray. Through the diverse applications enabled by the CyberKnife System, we believe there is potential for continued exponential market growth.”
This installation milestone in Lille and the two recent installs in Nancy and Nice, France are indicative of the global nature of Accuray’s business.
“A recent program from the French National Institute of Cancer (INCa) sought to provide new, innovative technology for cancer patients,” said Eric Lartigau, professor of radiation oncology at Centre Oscar Lambret and University Lille II. “Their selection of the CyberKnife and its recent installation at our Center helps achieve this mission by allowing us to accurately and effectively treat tumors anywhere in the body with radiosurgery. With the CyberKnife, we hope to radically improve the care received by our cancer patients.”
“According to the National Cancer Institute, while the rate of new cancers remains stable, Americans’ risk of dying from cancer continues to drop. We believe this is because technologies such as the CyberKnife System are providing more accurate means for treating tumors,” said Eric Lindquist, senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “Through broader global adoption we hope these benefits will reach even more patients worldwide.”
The CyberKnife System delivers high doses of radiation to tumors with sub-millimeter accuracy, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The CyberKnife System also continually tracks the tumor’s location, detects for tumor and patient movement, and automatically corrects the robot’s position accordingly. This eliminates the need for invasive placement of head and body frames, and time-consuming manual adjustments.
About the CyberKnife(R) Robotic Radiosurgery System
The CyberKnife System represents the next generation of radiosurgery systems, combining continuous image-guidance technology with a compact linear accelerator that has the flexibility to move in three dimensions according to the treatment plan. This combination, which is referred to as intelligent robotics, extends the benefits of radiosurgery to the treatment of tumors anywhere in the body. The CyberKnife System autonomously tracks, detects and corrects for tumor and patient movement in real-time during the procedure, enabling delivery of precise, high dose radiation typically with sub-millimeter accuracy.
About Accuray
Accuray Incorporated , based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is a global leader in the field of radiosurgery. Its CyberKnife System is the world’s first and only commercially available intelligent robotic radiosurgery system designed to treat tumors anywhere in the body, typically with sub-millimeter accuracy. To date, it is estimated that the CyberKnife System has treated more than 30,000 patients worldwide. 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, 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 most recent form 10-Q filed on March 15, 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.
(C) 2007 Accuray Incorporated. All rights reserved. Accuray, the Accuray logo, CyberKnife, Synchrony, Xsight and RoboCouch are among trademarks or registered trademarks of Accuray Incorporated.
Accuray Incorporated
CONTACT: Susan Lehman of Rockpoint Public Relations, +1-510-832-6006,susan@rockpointpr.com, for Accuray Incorporated; or Stephanie Tomei,Accuray Public Relations Manager, +1-408-789-4234, stomei@accuray.com
Web site: http://www.accuray.com/
