Accuray's CyberKnife approved in Japan
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Accuray's CyberKnife G4 robotic radiosurgery system has received approval ("shonin") from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW). The system, which will be marketed as the CyberKnife Radiosurgery System, can noninvasively treat tumours anywhere in the body, including the head and neck. It uses image-guidance technology to deliver high-dose radiation to tumours while minimising damage to healthy tissue. The original CyberKnife system was first approved in Japan in1996 for head and neck tumours; this was expanded in 2008 to include all extracranial tumours (www.clinica.co.uk, 24 June 2008). The G4 system is better at coping with target movement than pervious versions, Sunnyvale, California-based Accuray claims, further minimising the radiation dose to healthy tissue. It also allows a 50% reduction in treatment times.