90 Presentations at Leading Radiation Oncology Meeting Demonstrate the Breadth and Depth of Clinical Evidence for Accuray Technologies

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, announced today that studies presented at the 54th Annual American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Meeting in Boston, October 28-31, 2012 continue to demonstrate the unique strengths of the CyberKnife® and TomoTherapy® Systems. Podium and poster presentations on a variety of indications including prostate, lung, liver, breast and head and neck, showcased Accuray's position as a leader in radiation oncology.

ASTRO 2012 TomoTherapy Clinical and Technical Study Highlights

TomoTherapy researchers demonstrated the benefits of and the ability to create high-quality treatment plans that maximally spare nearby healthy tissues, for simple-to-complex targets throughout the body. Also highlighted was the capability to deliver the treatment plans accurately and with guidance from fully integrated daily 3D megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT), reinforcing the flexibility of the TomoTherapy System to treat a wide array of radiotherapy needs.

TomoTherapy researchers continue to deliver highly conformal treatment plans to challenging targets. For example, Joseph Kim, M.D. and colleagues from the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, Calif., presented findings on the treatment of 91 leukemia patients with normal-tissue-sparing total marrow/lymph irradiation (TMLI), an alternative to very toxic total body irradiation (TBI). TMLI delivered by the TomoTherapy System enabled far less tissue to be treated as compared to TBI while still maintaining the same levels of efficacy. Several presentations also demonstrated the flexibility of the TomoTherapy System for treating a variety of lung cancers.  Specifically, a study presented by Lane Rosen, M.D. and colleagues from Willis-Knighton Cancer Center in Shreveport, La. reviewed the use of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early-stage lung cancer and a study from Marco Trovo, M.D. and colleagues from Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano in Aviano, Italy and Pordenone General Hospital, Pordenone, Italy that reviewed data on the use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) delivered to the region surrounding the intact lung in post-surgical patients with malignant mesothelioma.

Of note, E. Parisi, M.D. and colleagues (from Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital, Forlı`, Italy) treated 18 patients with locally advanced lung cancer, delivering high doses in five total fractions in one week to large lung lesions and, simultaneously, to the involved lymph nodes. Overall survival of 55 percent at 22 months in these advanced patients was very good, and patients experienced no severe toxicity despite receiving high doses to multiple targets.

Finally, George Handsfield, M.D. and colleagues at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va., presented data on how the new, ultra-high-speed VoLO™ dose calculation and optimization technology has greatly advanced their development of a scan, plan, and treat approach by which patients in pain or who have traveled long distances may be treated within 30 minutes of being placed on the treatment couch. The use of VoLO to optimize and perform final dose calculations required an average of only about three and a half minutes, a small fraction of the time required previously.

ASTRO 2012 CyberKnife Clinical and Technical Study Highlights:

Data on the CyberKnife System that was presented at ASTRO 2012 continued to support the use of the CyberKnife System to deliver large radiation doses conformally and accurately to lesions of the lung, liver, prostate, and elsewhere throughout the body. The CyberKnife System's ability to track moving targets and automatically correct for motion in real time continues to provide clinicians the confidence to deliver radiosurgery and SBRT throughout the body, even to sites surrounded by healthy tissue and critical structures.

The use of SBRT for targets that move with respiration were highlighted in many presentations on the CyberKnife System at ASTRO 2012, including SBRT for treatment of lung and liver cancers. J.J. Nuyttens, M.D. and colleagues from Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, reviewed over six years of experience treating 240 patients with peripheral early-stage lung tumors with the CyberKnife System. Five-year tumor control in patients who received at least 51 gray (Gy) was 91 percent, and low rates of complications were observed. Anand Mahadevan, M.D. and colleagues from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Mass. presented data that supported treatment of primary and metastatic lesions in the liver. This data found SBRT could be delivered to unresectable liver tumors with relatively low toxicity and promising efficacy, in a three-day treatment that allowed patients to continue with ongoing chemotherapy with minimal interruption.

The ability for the CyberKnife System to accurately track and correct for unpredictable motion of the prostate was highlighted in 10 presentations at ASTRO 2012 by researchers describing outcomes following CyberKnife prostate SBRT for patients with organ confined prostate cancer. Researchers found patients to have excellent disease control with minimal urinary, bowel, and sexual function toxicity that are in line or better than other radiation and surgical treatments across the various single and multicenter studies presented.

"The data presented at this year's ASTRO Annual Meeting are a result of years of focused clinical work and investment by our customers across the world and truly showcase how the CyberKnife and TomoTherapy Systems provide treatment solutions for the entire spectrum of radiation oncology," said Joshua H. Levine, president and chief executive officer of Accuray. "With the introduction of the TomoTherapy® H™ Series and the CyberKnife® M6™ Series we look forward to continuing to innovate and deliver the best most effective radiation treatments with the goal of providing the best patient care globally."

Information on all of the ASTRO clinical presentations featuring the CyberKnife and TomoTherapy Systems is available here.

About Accuray

Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the premier radiation oncology company that develops, manufactures and sells personalized innovative treatment solutions that set the standard of care, with the aim of helping patients live longer, better lives. The Company's leading edge technologies – the CyberKnife and TomoTherapy Systems – are designed to deliver radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy, image guided radiation therapy, and adaptive radiation therapy. To date 642 systems have been installed in leading hospitals around the world. For more information, please visit www.accuray.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements made in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate, but are not limited, to clinical applications, treatment times, clinical results and patient outcomes, and the Company's leadership position in radiation oncology innovation. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including risks detailed from time to time under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's report on Form 10-K filed on September 10, 2012. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to the Company at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. The Company assumes 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.  Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Accuray Incorporated