CyberKnife Wins Product of the Year Award

NEWS TRENDS

The CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system from Accuray Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) has won the 2008 Medical Devices Product of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan.

The CyberKnife is the world's only commercially available robotic radiosurgery system. Accuray is one of several companies that have introduced major innovations to the robotic surgery sector in recent years. Others include Hansen Medical (Mountain View, CA), Stereotaxis Inc. (St. Louis), and MD&DI 2007 Medical Manufacturer of the Year, Intuitive Surgical Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA).

Accuray's system was recognized for its improvement to patient quality of life compared with alternative treatments. Treatment times are shorter than for traditional radiosurgical procedures. And the procedure is pain-free and noninvasive. These things contribute to faster recovery time and quicker return to normal activities.

“Accuray has established itself in the field of robotic radiosurgery with the CyberKnife system and continues to expand its product portfolio through the launch of new products,” said Archana Swathy, a Frost & Sullivan analyst. “The increased use of the CyberKnife has established a transformation in the treatment regime and has also succeeded in expanding its potential. These collective factors make Accuray's CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system the worthiest recipient of the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Medical Devices Product of the Year Award.”

The CyberKnife combines image-guidance technology with a compact linear accelerator. This enables three-dimensional flexibility. The device can automatically and instantaneously trace, detect, or correct for movement by the tumor or patient. This enables it to deliver high doses of radiation so precisely that there is no need for invasive head or body frames to restrict patient movement.

More than 40,000 patients have been treated with the system, and adoption is occurring rapidly. Use of the CyberKnife for extracranial tumors rose by 75% in 2007. Another indicator of surgeon interest is that a training course held in April in Boston had double the attendance of one held a year earlier.

To determine the winner, Frost & Sullivan's analysts track all new product launches, R&D spending, products in development, and new product features and modifications. It does this through interviews with market participants and through extensive secondary and technology research. All new product launches and new products in development in each company are then compared and evaluated based on degree of innovation and customer satisfaction.

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