SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- November 11, 2017 marks Veterans Day in the United States, a day to publicly recognize and honor those people who have served, or are serving, in the Armed Services. Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) employees who have aided their country through military duty are now providing another type of service to military personnel. Each day, it is their mission to ensure that the radiation therapy systems the company manufactures are in prime working condition and ready when needed to provide the best possible treatment to people diagnosed with cancer.

"At Accuray, more than 50 percent of the U.S. Field Service Team has served our country through military duty. We believed it was important to act selflessly, to do everything we could to help others, and have carried these values over to the work that we're currently doing," said Kevin Brigham, Senior Field Service Engineer at Accuray; former radar technician in the U.S. Navy. "We're committed to ensuring that our radiation therapy systems are operating the way they should, so clinicians are able to do their jobs – to provide effective treatments to patients who may benefit from radiation therapy."

According to a 2012 U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) study of VA cancer patients, 97.5% of whom were male, the five most frequently diagnosed cancers were prostate, lung and bronchial, colorectal, urinary and bladder cancers, and skin melanomas. While this mirrors the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the general population of American men, veterans are at higher risk for developing these cancers, which are often effectively treated using targeted radiation therapy.
Through the VA Choice Program, established as part of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA), veterans enrolled in VA health can receive care within their community or see a cancer specialist with the most advanced technology, such as the Accuray CyberKnife®, Radixact™ and TomoTherapy® Systems, instead of waiting for a VA appointment or travelling to a VA facility. The innovative Accuray Systems were designed to provide precise radiation treatments which minimize exposure to healthy tissue and measurably reduce associated side effects.

"As a veteran, I'm proud that Accuray supports the military community through employment opportunities and educational efforts around the VA Choice Program. While very different, each are critical to the well-being of the esteemed military personnel who have served our country," said Andy Kirkpatrick, Senior Vice President, Global Operations and R&D at Accuray; former nuclear engineer and submarine officer in the U.S. Navy.

"I joined TomoTherapy, Incorporated, now Accuray, almost 14 years ago. As one of the first 100 employees, I've seen the evolution of the TomoTherapy platform. I was impressed with the system when it was first introduced and am now blown away by the enhancements which have been made to ensure patients receive the optimal treatment for their condition. I'm gratified that we are working to improve veterans' access to this technology, and our CyberKnife platform, through the VA Choice Program," commented Robert Sinklair, Engineering Technician IV at Accuray; former aerographers mate in the U.S. Navy.


About Accuray
Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY) is a radiation oncology company that develops, manufactures and sells precise, 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 deliver the full range of radiation therapy and radiosurgery treatments. For more information, please visit www.accuray.com.

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