Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Treats 2,000th Patient with the CyberKnife System

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, announced today that the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and a leader in pioneering innovative technology to advance patient care, has treated its 2,000th patient with the CyberKnife^® Robotic Radiosurgery System. The first center in New England to offer the CyberKnife System, the BIDMC achieved this significant milestone in less than six years.

The Keith C. Field CyberKnife Center at the BIDMC in recent history has used the CyberKnife System to treat an average of 450 patients per year with a wide range of intracranial and extracranial tumors as well as other functional conditions. The CyberKnife System complements and enhances the BIDMC's comprehensive array of diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical services for treating tumors and gives patients throughout New England access to an innovative, non-invasive treatment option. In November 2010, the BIDMC upgraded its CyberKnife facility to include the most advanced CyberKnife technology including the Iris™ Variable Aperture Collimator. This upgrade enables the hospital to deliver treatments more rapidly and efficiently, increasing overall patient throughput.

"The CyberKnife System continues to be a critical tool for us in the minimally-invasive treatment of tumors," said Irving Kaplan, MD, co-director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Prostate Care Center and assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School. "The technology's unparalleled accuracy allows us to maximize healthy tissue sparing while delivering ablative doses of radiation and provide an overall more positive patient experience. At the BIDMC we are committed to providing effective treatment options with fewer side effects that enhance patient's quality of life. Our success with the CyberKnife System demonstrates that this technology is an integral part of delivering on that promise."

The CyberKnife System's unique ability to not only track tumor movement, but to also automatically correct for motion throughout treatment enables clinicians to offer radiosurgery and SBRT to patients for tumors throughout the body. In addition, the robotic mobility of the system eliminates the need for treatment interruption while ensuring the high doses of radiation are accurately delivered to the tumor throughout treatment. This level of accuracy and precision provides options for fields such as lung, liver and prostate SBRT which present the challenge of sparing critical tissues and managing a wide range of target movement throughout treatment.  

"We congratulate Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on treating its 2,000th patient," said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Accuray Incorporated. "This important milestone speaks to growing adoption and usage rates for the CyberKnife System at leading medical centers around the world. We look forward to continuing to support hospitals like the BIDMC that clearly recognize the benefits that the CyberKnife System delivers not only in terms of patient care, but also in terms of overall growth for their organizations."

About the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and ranks third in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is a clinical partner of the Joslin Diabetes Center and a research partner of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit www.bidmc.org.

About Accuray

Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., is the premier radiation oncology company. Accuray develops, manufactures and sells personalized, best-in-class treatment solutions that revolve around the patient. Accuray's innovative technologies – the CyberKnife System and TomoTherapy Systems – set the standard of care with the aim of helping patients live longer, better lives. To date, more than 200,000 patients worldwide have been treated using the company's technologies and more than 550 systems have been installed in leading hospitals around the world. 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 experience, number of patients treated and market acceptance 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: range of treatment options, clinical applications, and market acceptance of products and other risks detailed from time to time under the heading "Risk Factors" in our report on Form 10-K for our 2010 fiscal year, our form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2011 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