Radiation company eyeing Asia amid financial crisis

from Reuters:

>>INTERVIEW-Radiation company eyeing Asia amid financial crisis

By Tan Ee Lyn

HONG KONG, March 6 (Reuters) - Accuray Inc (ARAY.O: Quote, Profile, Research), which builds radiosurgery equipment to fight cancer, is confident about its business prospects despite the global financial crisis as demand from hospitals, particularly in Asia, remains strong.

...

The company is hoping to sell more of its systems into Asia, particularly Japan, China and India.

"In just China and Hong Kong, (there are) 400,000 cases of lung cancer a year. Forty-percent are in the early-stage, and over half of these you can't operate on," Lindquist said.

"In India, there is a large middle class there and demand for greater sophistication in treatment."

Apart from China, India and Japan, the company has also won approval from governments in South Korea and Taiwan for its products to be used.

The company plans to conduct a trial comparing conventional surgery with its radiosurgery equipment. Some 1,100 lung cancer patients will be invited to participate in 40 centres worldwide.

The participants will be followed up for five years.