Halifax Health in Florida is First in the U.S. to Treat Patients with Cancer Using the Accuray Radixact® Radiation Delivery System and VitalHold™ Technology

Rhea-AI Summary

Halifax Health in Florida has become the first in the U.S. to treat cancer patients using the Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology. This advanced system, housed at the Cancer Center for Hope – Port Orange, combines ClearRT® helical CT imaging and Synchrony® real-time adaptive delivery technologies to enhance precision in radiation delivery.

The VitalHold feature incorporates a fully integrated and automated surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) solution from C-RAD, offering benefits such as highly accurate patient positioning and enabling deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) treatments. This technology aims to minimize radiation dose to organs at risk and supports tattoo-free positioning for improved patient comfort.

The implementation of this system demonstrates Halifax Health's commitment to providing cutting-edge cancer care to the Volusia County community, potentially improving treatment outcomes and patient quality of life.

Positive

• First U.S. hospital to use Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology for cancer treatment
• Enhanced precision in radiation delivery through advanced patient positioning capabilities
• Potential for faster and more effective radiotherapy treatments
• Ability to treat a wider range of cancer cases, including breast cancer
• Incorporation of surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) for highly accurate patient positioning
• Support for deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) treatments to minimize radiation dose to organs at risk
• Tattoo-free positioning for improved patient comfort and potentially better cosmetic results

Negative

• None.

Medical Research Analyst

The introduction of the Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology at Halifax Health marks a significant advancement in radiation therapy. This system's integration of surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) and deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) techniques offers several key benefits:

• Enhanced precision in patient positioning and monitoring throughout treatment
• Potential reduction in radiation exposure to healthy tissues, particularly for breast cancer patients
• Improved patient comfort with tattoo-free positioning

While this technology shows promise in improving treatment accuracy and patient experience, its long-term clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness remain to be seen. The system's ability to adapt to future innovations could prove valuable as cancer cases are projected to rise by 35% between 2022 and 2040.

Financial Analyst

For Accuray (NASDAQ: ARAY), this milestone installation at Halifax Health could have positive implications:

• First-mover advantage in the U.S. market with this advanced technology
• Potential for increased market share in the competitive radiation therapy equipment sector
• Possible boost to revenue streams from both equipment sales and ongoing service contracts

However, investors should note that the financial impact may be gradual. The high cost of such systems typically limits rapid adoption and healthcare providers often have long procurement cycles. Additionally, Accuray's ability to scale production and support for this new technology will be important for capitalizing on its potential market opportunity.

New Technology Provides Advanced Patient Positioning Capabilities With the Radixact System, Making it Easier to Deliver Fast and Effective Radiotherapy Treatments

MADISON, Wis. and DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Aug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Accuray Incorporated (NASDAQ: ARAY) and Halifax Health, in Volusia County, Florida, announced today that the Charles L. and Miki N. Grant Cancer Center for Hope medical team is the first in the U.S. to treat cancer patients using the Accuray Radixact^® System with VitalHold™* technology. The new VitalHold feature will provide a resource for effectively positioning the patient and monitoring the accuracy of that positioning throughout their treatment, enhancing precision in radiation delivery. The new system is housed at the Cancer Center for Hope – Port Orange.

Halifax Health augmented its Radixact System with the Accuray proprietary ClearRT^® helical CT imaging and Synchrony^® real-time adaptive delivery technologies. The comprehensive radiotherapy delivery system, in combination with VitalHold, is designed to facilitate treatment of a wider range of cancer cases including breast cancer, faster and with less harm to patients.

"With the estimated number of new cancer cases in the U.S. anticipated to increase by about 35% between the year 2022 and 2040¹, it's important that medical teams have the resources they need to offer the best possible care today and into the future. The Radixact System is designed to offer certainty in every step of the treatment process, from simulation through radiation delivery, to facilitate high quality cancer care today while also providing a platform able to evolve with continued innovation," said Suzanne Winter, president and CEO of Accuray.

Ms. Winter continued, "We are proud to partner with the Halifax Health team as they continue to advance patient centered cancer care in Volusia County. Their treatment of the first patients in the U.S. using VitalHold on the Radixact System shows their dedication to investing in options for care that have the potential to meaningfully improve the lives of their patients."

The VitalHold feature incorporates a fully integrated and automated surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) solution, Catalyst+ HD from C-RAD, on the Radixact System that offers multiple benefits for medical teams and their patients. SGRT is a technology that supports highly accurate positioning by scanning a patient's body surface with a high-resolution camera and reconstructing it as a 3D image in real-time. The reconstructed image enables clinicians to easily visualize the difference between the current body position and the target position, helping to ensure high reproducibility of the patient position during treatment.

In addition, VitalHold enables deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) treatments on the Radixact System. During DIBH treatments, a patient takes a deep breath which moves the heart away from the chest wall and the targeted tumor to help minimize radiation dose to organs at risk (OARs) and reduce associated complications later in life. VitalHold DIBH treatments use SGRT to confirm the patient is appropriately positioned to deliver radiation. SGRT supports tattoo-free positioning, meaning no permanent markers are needed on the patient's skin to align the patient before radiation treatment delivery. Tattoo-free treatments increase patient comfort and potentially improve cosmetic results.

"As the first and only center in the U.S. to treat cancer using the Radixact System and VitalHold, we are demonstrating our commitment to providing the highest level of care to the people in our community," said Jeff Feasel, President and CEO of Halifax Health. "The full-featured Radixact^® System provides us with the tools we need to think differently about how we use radiation therapy within our practice. Moving forward, we will continue to lengthen and improve the quality of patients' lives, making it possible to eliminate some of the fear associated with a cancer diagnosis."

"We are delighted that the VitalHold solution has been chosen by the Halifax Health team. Equipping their Radixact^® System with SGRT will support in serving the Volusia county community with cutting-edge cancer care. VitalHold™ is a powerful ally in enhancing precision in radiation delivery, providing advanced patient positioning capabilities. We are honored that the first patient has successfully been treated and congratulate Halifax Health team on this milestone," said Cecilia de Leeuw, CEO of C-RAD.

About Halifax Health
Recognized as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ in the United States by IBM Watson Health™, Halifax Health serves Volusia and Flagler counties, providing a continuum of health care services through a network of organizations including a tertiary hospital, two community hospitals, an urgent care network, psychiatric services, a cancer treatment center with five outreach locations, the area's largest hospice, a center for inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, primary care walk-in clinics, a clinic specializing in women's health, a pediatric care community clinic, three children's medical practices, a home health care agency and an exclusive provider organization. Halifax Health offers the area's only Level II Trauma Center, Center for Transplant Services, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Emergency Department with board-certified pediatricians on staff 24/7, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Services, OB Emergency Department and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for babies born earlier than 28 weeks. It's also the area's longest-standing Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) offering complete Neurosurgical Services. For more information, visit halifaxhealth.org

Important Safety Information
For Important Safety Information please refer to https://www.accuray.com/safety-statement.

About Accuray
Accuray is committed to expanding the powerful potential of radiation therapy to improve as many lives as possible. We invent unique, market-changing solutions designed to deliver radiation treatments for even the most complex cases—while making commonly treatable cases even easier—to meet the full spectrum of patient needs. We are dedicated to continuous innovation in radiation therapy for oncology, neuro-radiosurgery, and beyond, as we partner with clinicians and administrators, empowering them to help patients get back to their lives, faster. Accuray is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, with facilities worldwide. To learn more, visit www.accuray.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

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, expectations regarding the company's products and upgrades, market expectations, clinical applications, clinical results, patient experiences and patient outcomes. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties.  If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if any of the company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to achieve widespread market acceptance of its products, including new product innovations and releases; the company's ability to develop new products or improve existing products to meet customers' needs; the company's ability to anticipate or keep pace with changes in the marketplace; and the direction of technological innovation and customer demands and such other risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on May 8, 2024, and as updated periodically with 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 the company 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.

Media Contact:
Beth Kaplan
Public Relations Director, Accuray
+1 (408) 789-4426
bkaplan@accuray.com

John Guthrie
Vice President of Corporate Communications, Halifax Health
(386) 425-4372
john.guthrie@halifax.org 

*VitalHold™ availability is subject to regulatory clearance or approval in some markets.

¹ International Agency for Research on Cancer.
 https://gco.iarc.fr/tomorrow/en/dataviz/bubbles?populations=840. Accessed on July 23, 2024.

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SOURCE Accuray Incorporated

FAQ

What is the Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology?

The Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology is an advanced radiation delivery system that incorporates surface-guided radiotherapy (SGRT) for precise patient positioning and monitoring during cancer treatments. It aims to enhance precision in radiation delivery and support a wider range of cancer cases.

How does VitalHold™ technology benefit cancer patients?

VitalHold™ technology benefits cancer patients by providing highly accurate positioning, enabling deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) treatments to minimize radiation dose to organs at risk, and supporting tattoo-free positioning for improved comfort and potentially better cosmetic results.

Which hospital is the first in the U.S. to use the Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology?

Halifax Health in Volusia County, Florida, specifically at the Charles L. and Miki N. Grant Cancer Center for Hope, is the first in the U.S. to treat cancer patients using the Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology.

What types of cancer can be treated with the Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology?

The Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology is designed to treat a wide range of cancer cases, including breast cancer. It aims to facilitate faster and more effective radiotherapy treatments for various types of cancer.

How does the Accuray Radixact® System with VitalHold™ technology impact Accuray's (ARAY) market position?

The implementation of this advanced technology at Halifax Health demonstrates Accuray's (ARAY) commitment to innovation in radiation therapy. It potentially strengthens Accuray's market position by offering cutting-edge solutions that can improve cancer treatment outcomes and patient care.