Accuray to showcase CyberKnife, TomoTherapy systems at AAPM/COMP meeting

Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, announced today that it will showcase the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System and the TomoTherapy® Radiation Therapy Treatment System in the company's booths (#708, #809) at the 2011 Joint American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM)/Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) Meeting. Accuray will also host a joint symposium examining best practices for quality assurance in radiation oncology. The 2011 Joint AAPM/COMP Meeting takes place July 31-August 4, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

On Monday, August 1 at 12:30 p.m. PDT, Accuray will host a symposium at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Star Sapphire Ballroom on "Best Quality Assurance Programs for Today's Radiation Oncology Platforms." Sonja Dieterich, Ph.D., DABR, chief of clinical physics at Stanford University School of Medicine, will discuss the protocols and recommendations of task group TG-135, which has been dedicated to setting QA standards in the field of robotic radiosurgery. Sasa Mutic, Ph.D., DABR chief of clinical medical physics and associate professor of radiation oncology at Washington University School of Medicine, will discuss how systems' engineering principles can be applied to radiotherapy quality assurance (QA) and quality compliance (QC). Attendees interested in participating in the symposium may register online.

In addition to the symposium, several studies from leading hospitals and academic centers will showcase both the CyberKnife System and the TomoTherapy System. Highlights from the more than 60 CyberKnife System and TomoTherapy-related topics from the conference include:

• "Experience with Helical TomoTherapy Commissioning and Quality Assurance of Twin Peaks Linac vs. Earlier models"—Conducted at the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in Pomona, Calif., this study evaluated the new Twin Peak linear accelerator in the TomoTherapy System. Researchers found beam performance to be consistent with that of a treatment unit employing an earlier model of linear accelerator. Additionally, this study found that throughout nine months of clinical use no changes in beam characteristics were observed. The study concludes that the new linear accelerator represents an improvement in technology in terms of beam stability and in the lifetime of this system component.
• "CyberKnife Treatment of Endometrial Cervical Cancer"—Conducted at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa., this research investigated the potential use of the CyberKnife System for the treatment of cervical cancer as an alternative to brachytherapy, an invasive and often painful treatment option. As the authors state, this study demonstrated that CyberKnife treatment can be a viable alternative to endometrial brachytherapy treatments, which may greatly improve the patient care.
• "CyberKnife Treatment for Early Stage Oral Tongue Cancer – Feasibility Study"—Conducted at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa., this study evaluated use of the CyberKnife System to treat oral tongue cancer. The treatment planning study found that the CyberKnife System could deliver conformal dose in 5 fractions that kept radiation dose to the mandible low, providing patients with a more comfortable and less invasive alternative to conventional brachytherapy. Authors estimate treatment time will be 18 min/fraction.

"The quantity, quality and diversity of the CyberKnife and TomoTherapy abstracts accepted for presentation at the AAPM/COMP meeting reinforces growing recognition in the medical physicist community of Accuray's technologies," said Euan S. Thomson, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Accuray. "These presentations point to positive results as well as new applications for both systems that further expand the number of patients who can benefit from the CyberKnife System and the TomoTherapy System."