Accuray Receives Outstanding Innovative Improvement Award for its CyberKnife System

SUNNYVALE, Calif., November 30, 2011 - Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), the premier radiation oncology company, today announced that the company received the Outstanding Innovative Improvement Award for its CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System at the 3rd Annual Employer Healthcare Congress, which took place October 25 - 28, 2011 in Chicago.

The award was presented to Accuray in recognition of the fact that patients treated with the CyberKnife System are able to complete treatment in five days or less, compared to radiation therapy treatments, which typically require up to 40 treatment sessions. This significant reduction in the number of daily treatments helps patients get back to work faster, benefitting employees and employers alike. The CyberKnife System targets tumors anywhere in the body and delivers high doses of radiation with pinpoint accuracy. Unlike any other radiation delivery system, the CyberKnife System tracks and adjusts treatment delivery to compensate for tumor motion, including respiration.

"Treatment with the CyberKnife System is typically completed in five or fewer outpatient sessions, compared to the six weeks of daily treatments typical with conventional radiation. Fewer daily treatments allow the employee to get back to their normal schedule, including work, resulting in less stress for the employee and a more efficient workplace for the employer," said Jonathan Edelheit, president of the Employer Healthcare Congress. "Accuray has made a tremendous effort to ensure that employees are aware of the full range of options so they can make an informed treatment decision. We wanted to recognize Accuray’s innovative technology, as well as its education efforts with this award."Accuray Receives Outstanding Innovative Improvement Award for its CyberKnife System

source: Accuray

Clinicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System First in World to Use "Triggered Imaging" Technology From Varian Medical Systems

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System became the first medical center in the world last week to utilize intrafraction motion review (IMR), or "triggered imaging," to continually monitor tumor location during radiosurgery for lung cancer. IMR, which is a unique capability of the TrueBeam™ linear accelerator from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) enables visual verification that a tumor is being properly targeted.

"With triggered imaging, clinicians use the imager on the TrueBeam system to observe the targeted tumor repeatedly, at a predetermined portion of the respiratory cycle, in order to check on the tumor's location and trajectory," said Chris Toth, senior director of marketing at Varian. "If the tumor is not where it is supposed to be, they can halt treatment and intervene to enhance the accuracy of the targeting."

Doctors at UAB used the IMR tool for the first time earlier this month when delivering a Gated RapidArc radiosurgery treatment for inoperable early-stage lung cancer. RapidArc enables fast, precise image-guided IMRT (intensity-modulated radiotherapy) by delivering dose continuously as the treatment machine rotates around the patient. Gated RapidArc makes it possible to monitor patient breathing and compensate for tumor motion during a RapidArc treatment. The Gating system turns the treatment beam on and off in synchrony with the patient's breathing to increase treatment precision. With IMR, or "triggered imaging," the gating system also triggers the imager to generate a low-dose X-ray of the targeted tumor at a specific point in the patient's respiratory cycle.

source: Varian Medical Systems

IsoRay Ships First GliaSite(R) Brain Cancer Treatment

RICHLAND, Wash., Nov 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- IsoRay, Inc. ISR -4.28% announced today it has shipped its first GliaSite(R) radiation therapy system. The Company initiated sales after receiving final approval this week from the State of Washington Department of Health to manufacture its GliaSite(R) radiation therapy system. The GliaSite(R) radiation therapy system is a balloon catheter device used in the treatment of brain cancer. Having already received FDA clearance, the Washington State regulatory approval opened the door for sales of IsoRay's GliaSite(R) brain cancer treatment in the United States.

IsoRay CEO Dwight Babcock says inquiries are on the rise, "News of final regulatory approval has generated a great deal of interest throughout the medical community in the U.S. and internationally. We are hearing from physicians as well as brain cancer patients who are seeking treatment options for Glioblastomas and metastasized brain cancers."

The GliaSite(R) radiation system offers an innovative alternative that presents an important advance over previous brain cancer treatments. Doctors are able to use the system to directly place a specified dosage of liquid radiation in areas where cancer is most likely to still remain after completion of brain tumor removal. The ability to precisely place a specified dosage of this form of radiation means there is less likelihood for damage to occur to healthy brain tissue compared to other alternative treatments. Importantly, the GliaSite(R) radiation treatment diminishes the ability of the tumor to recur which means important benefits for patients in longevity as well as quality of life.

source: Isoray

Prostate Cancer Study Shows Radiation Plus Hormone Therapy Greatly Improves Survival for Men with High-Risk Disease

Newswise — (Toronto – Nov. 3, 2011) – Men with locally advanced or high-risk prostate cancer who receive combined radiation and hormone therapy live longer and are less likely to die from their disease, shows clinical research led by radiation oncologists at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Cancer Program, University Health Network.

The findings are published online today in The Lancet (doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61095-7). Principal investigator Padraig Warde, deputy head, PMH radiation medicine program, says: “The study shows combining radiation and hormone therapy improves overall survival by 23 percent and disease-specific survival by 43 percent, compared with treating with hormone therapy alone.

“Based on these results, we believe adding radiation to the treatment plan should become part of the standard therapy.” Dr. Warde is also a Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto.

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men and between 15% and 25% percent of cases are high risk, says Dr. Warde. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates 25,500 new cases will be diagnosed this year and that 4,100 men will die from the disease.

source: NewsWise

iCAD Announces Recent Adoption of Its Xoft Electronic Brachytherapy System by Leading U. S. Hospitals

NASHUA, N.H., Nov 09, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- iCAD, Inc. ICAD -1.59% , an industry-leading provider of advanced image analysis, workflow solutions and radiation therapies for the early identification and treatment of cancer, today announced that its Xoft Axxent(R) eBx(TM) electronic brachytherapy system for intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) has been recently adopted at leading hospitals across the country. Facilities that have chosen the Xoft Axxent eBx System for IORT include Diablo Valley Oncology/Hematology (Pleasant Hill, Calif.), Exeter Hospital (Exeter, N.H.), Memorial Hospital Chattanooga (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Florida Hospital Tampa (Tampa, Fla.), Rockford Memorial Hospital (Rockford, Ill.), Rose Medical Center (Denver, Colo.) and Vanderbilt Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.)

"The recent adoption of the Axxent eBx System is an increasing endorsement of electronic brachytherapy and IORT as a safe and effective method of radiation treatment," said Ken Ferry, President and CEO of iCAD. "The growing demand for IORT offers patients expanded access to potentially lifesaving radiation therapy for their cancer treatment and an alternative to long-term radiation therapy."

IORT enables doctors to administer a high dose of radiation to the tumor bed during a lumpectomy, which reduces or eliminates the need for follow-up radiation treatments and also minimizes radiation exposure to healthy tissue and organs, such as the ribs, lungs, heart and opposite breast. The current standard of care for early stage breast cancer consists of lumpectomy, medical therapy, and a five to seven week course of daily Whole Breast External Beam Radiation Therapy (WBEBRT) delivered by linear accelerators inside a heavily shielded room. With IORT, a single dose of intraoperative radiation may be as effective in treating the tumor as 10--20 daily radiation doses.(1)

source: Business Wire