SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) announced today that MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. treated its 1,000th prostate cancer patient with the leading-edge CyberKnife® System. The System was designed to deliver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), a treatment process necessitating an extremely high degree of precision. SBRT is a much shorter course of treatment for prostate cancer patients than conventional radiation and is noninvasive (no surgery involved).

MedStar Georgetown was an early adopter of CyberKnife radiosurgery and continues to pioneer and expand the ways the System is used to treat tumors. In 2012, MedStar Georgetown invested in a second CyberKnife System to meet the growing demand among clinicians and patients interested in the treatment of prostate cancer and other indications. In addition to using CyberKnife radiosurgery to treat prostate cancer, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is using the System as a treatment method for tumors of the brain, breast, liver, lung, pancreas and spine.

"This patient milestone demonstrates MedStar Georgetown University Hospital's commitment to offering the most advanced technologies available for a broad universe of their patients," said Joshua H. Levine, president and chief executive officer of Accuray. "More and more, our customers are selecting CyberKnife as their system of choice for the treatment of low to intermediate-risk prostate cancer, based on its ability to effectively target and treat this delicate area in five treatment sessions or less, with sub-millimeter precision, and with minimal disruption to patients' daily lives."
The prostate gland can move unpredictably throughout the course of treatment because of normal patient bodily functions, making the ability to track, detect and correct for motion critically important. Unlike any other radiation treatment, the CyberKnife System continually tracks and automatically corrects the beam for movement of the prostate in real-time throughout the entire treatment session. With this automatic motion-tracking and adjustment, the CyberKnife System enhances the doctor's ability to treat with exceptional preservation of healthy tissue. Using the System, physicians can precisely maximize dose in four to five treatment sessions, minimize side effects, and maximize patient comfort during treatment.

Most side effects of radiotherapy, including radiotherapy delivered with Accuray systems, are mild and temporary, often involving fatigue, nausea, and skin irritation. Side effects can be severe, however, leading to pain, alterations in normal body functions (for example, urinary or salivary function), deterioration of quality of life, permanent injury and even death. Side effects can occur during or shortly after radiation treatment or in the months and years following radiation. The nature and severity of side effects depend on many factors, including the size and location of the treated tumor, the treatment technique (for example, the radiation dose), the patient's general medical condition, to name a few. For more details about the side effects of your radiation therapy, and if treatment with an Accuray product is right for you, ask your doctor.

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