Accuray Incorporated (Nasdaq: ARAY), has announced the publication of two papers stemming from a large multi-center study of CyberKnife® stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) led by investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA). The first paper, published in the September 2013 online issue of Radiotherapy & Oncology (commonly referred to as the Green Journal), found, in more than one thousand patients with organ-confined prostate cancer, relapse-free survival rates were comparable to other established treatments at both three- and five-year intervals post-treatment. The second paper published in the October 10 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology (commonly referred to as the Red Journal) demonstrated that CyberKnife SBRT was a well-tolerated treatment that allowed patients to return to their pre-treatment health-related quality of life (QoL).
"These studies confirm with a much larger patient population and longer follow-up what many smaller studies have already suggested - SBRT is an effective method for treating prostate cancer," said Christopher King, Ph.D., M.D., professor of radiation oncology and urology at UCLA School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "Compact dose delivery and real-time tracking of prostate motion gave the authors of these studies the confidence to explore the potential of high-dose, extreme hypofractionation. Clinical outcomes so far validate the effectiveness and safety of treating patients with prostate cancer with minimal disruption to their lives."
In the first paper from this study published in the Green Journal, titled,
"New studies like these continue to lead to increased adoption and reimbursement of the CyberKnife System for prostate cancer, providing more prostate cancer patients with a precise and convenient non-surgical alternative," said Joshua H. Levine, president and chief executive officer of Accuray. "As more commercial payers continue to cover prostate SBRT, patients will benefit even more from gaining access to treatment with the CyberKnife System."
The CyberKnife System is equipped with the InTempo™ Adaptive Imaging System which enables real time tracking and correcting of the prostate during treatment. This image-guidance technology ensures the CyberKnife System is on target, sparing normal tissue despite unpredictable, sometimes extensive prostate movement.