Anova Cancer Care Treats 1,000th Prostate Cancer Patient with the CyberKnife® System

Innovative System Provides Extremely Precise, Non-invasive Treatment in Four to Five Sessions

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Oct 13, 2015, 06:30 ET

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) announced today that Anova Cancer Care in Denver, Colorado, has treated its 1,000th prostate cancer patient with the leading-edge CyberKnife^® System. This non-invasive treatment for cancerous and non-cancerous tumors was designed to provide stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), a treatment process enabling the delivery of radiation throughout the body with an extremely high degree of precision. The 1,000th patient milestone demonstrates the importance of the CyberKnife System as a treatment for low to intermediate-risk prostate cancer in appropriate candidates. Anova chose to use the System because for SBRT they felt it is the best tool for the job and the only device capable of automatically staying on target despite patient and tumor motion, giving them the accuracy they require to confidently treat their patients.

For more information on the CyberKnife System, visit
http://www.accuray.com/solutions/treatment-delivery/cyberknife-treatment-delivery.

For more information on the Anova Cancer Care visit https://anovacancercare.com/treatments/prostate-cancer/.

"Having treated 1,000 prostate cancer patients with CyberKnife SBRT, our clinical team understands first-hand the tremendous short and long-term advantages to patients receiving this treatment," said Gregg Dickerson, MD, chief of radiosurgery and medical director at Anova Cancer Care. "Our patients are always relieved when they learn CyberKnife treatment can be completed in just four or five days. More importantly, because I can deliver precise doses of radiation I can decrease dose to surrounding healthy tissue and minimize negative side-effects on urinary, bowel, and sexual function that can reduce a patient's quality of life."

Anova Cancer Care is an independent radiation therapy center dedicated to treating patients with benign and malignant tumors throughout the body. Of the 1,000 patients with prostate cancer treated at Anova, the control rate for the low-risk patients has been 100 percent and the typical intermediate-risk patients have been over 99 percent controlled. Several publications about the Anova experience with prostate cancer are being developed.

"I don't usually take the time to get yearly health exams but my wife insisted I get my PSA levels checked, and I'm so glad she did. The exam led to my prostate cancer diagnosis -- I wasn't experiencing any of the symptoms you hear about," said Rick H. "I spoke with my radiation oncologist, Dr. Dickerson, about my options and he told me I was a candidate for radiation treatments with the CyberKnife System. I lead a busy life, including owning a business, so when I learned it was a non-invasive approach which would precisely target my tumor, I knew it was the right choice for me. I experienced only minimal side effects from my treatment, and I didn't miss a day of work or make changes to my daily routine, which was very important to me."

The prostate gland can move unpredictably throughout the course of treatment, making the ability to track, detect and correct for motion critically important. Unlike any other radiation delivery system, the CyberKnife^® System continually tracks and automatically adjusts the beam for movement of the prostate in real-time throughout the entire treatment session. The System's accuracy is sub-millimeter -- its pinpoint precision is within the thickness of a dime, enhancing clinicians' ability to treat effectively while preserving healthy tissue.

"We commend Dr. Dickerson and the Anova team on the significant and positive impact they are having on the lives of men with prostate cancer. We are honored that our technology plays such a significant role in the great work they are doing," said Joshua H. Levine, president and chief executive officer of Accuray. "The CyberKnife System provides patients with an effective treatment option which is administered over a significantly reduced time frame of a few days instead of many weeks. The majority of patients can continue normal activity during and immediately following treatment, so disruption to daily lives is minimized."

Published and ongoing studies of CyberKnife SBRT continue to validate this precise approach to the treatment of prostate cancer:

The Registry for Prostate Cancer Radiosurgery, on which Dr. Dickerson serves on the board of directors, recently published data on 1,742 men from 45 clinics demonstrating excellent biochemical progression free survival and lack of significant side effects.
At seven years, a study evaluating 477 men with low- or intermediate-risk cancer found these men experienced a high rate of biochemical progression free survival with acceptable toxicity and low PSA levels.¹
A study of 1,100 men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer showed an overall biochemical progression free survival of 93 percent at five years. Additionally, PSA relapse-free survival rates after SBRT compare favorably with other definitive treatments for low and intermediate risk patients.²
A prospective, multi-center study of 31 men with locally recurrent prostate cancer found use of SBRT as salvage therapy resulted in a biochemical free survival rate of 82 percent at two years with acceptable toxicity and low PSA levels.³

About Accuray
Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) is a radiation oncology company that develops, manufactures and sells precise, innovative tumor 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.

Safe Harbor Statement
Statements made in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate, but are not limited, to future growth, market success, adoption of our new products or services, benefits of our technologies, and Accuray's leadership position in radiation oncology innovation and technologies. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including but not limited to the risks detailed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's report on Form 10-K, filed on August 28, 2015, the company's reports on Form 10-Q, filed on November 7, 2014, February 6, 2015 and May 7, 2015, and the company's other filings with the SEC.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to Accuray at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. The company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual performance or results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, investors should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

¹Katz AJ, Kang J. Stereotactic body radiotherapy as treatment for organ confined low- and intermediate-risk prostate carcinoma, a 7-year study. Front Oncol 2014;4:240.
²King, C.R., "Stereotactic body radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer: pooled analysis from a multi-institutional consortium of prospective phase II trials." Radiother Oncol. 2013 Nov;109(2):217-21.
³ Fuller, D.B. et al. High-dose-rate stereotactic body radiation therapy for postradiation therapy locally recurrent prostatic carcinoma: Preliminary prostate-specific antigen response, disease-free survival, and toxicity assessment. Pract Radiat Oncol. 2015 Jun 6. pii: S1879-8500(15)00157-5. doi: 10.1016/j.prro.2015.04.009. [Epub ahead of print].

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