The FM and the "entry level" FI are, however, upgradeable to the FIM, he said.

New TomoTherapy

Similarly, the new TomoTherapy H Series, with H standing for "helical," comes in three makes of increasing sophistication and price: the H, the HD, with the D meaning "direct" dose, and the HDA, with the A meaning "advanced."

TomoTherapy is a CT-imaging guided linear accelerator. Accuray bought the company that makes the system last year.

Arguably the most innovative new feature here, available by default in the HDA model, is what the company calls "TomoEDGE." Basically, this means dynamic beam jaws, which can open during treatments.

Again, the advantages here would be in accuracy and treatment time. Gliessmann said the average beam-on time is reduced by half using this technology. The company said it has also improved CT image acquisition and processing time, which is now faster by a factor of two. Gliessmann said with the new advancements, a typical patient would take 15 minutes to treat from entering the treatment room to being escorted out. In earlier models, more complex cases could take upwards of half an hour, he said.

Gliessmann said this makes the system more competitive. He said the company has also improved the performance of the device, to reduce wear and tear on parts and frequency of preventive maintenance -- a sticking-point with earlier models that had caused the company's service costs to be high.

Coming soon

TomoTherapy H Series received Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance before the show, Gliessmann said. He said the company would start offering price quotes in November and the first shipments are expected early next year. The Hi-Art series, the earlier TomoTherapy systems, would be discontinued, he said.

The CyberKnife is pending FDA 510(k) clearance, which he said the company expects, if all goes well, sometime in November. But Gliessmann said they expect to start shipping it in the European Union later this year. He said the company could not yet reveal what institutions have ordered the device.

Once CyberKnife enters the U.S. market, the plan is to discontinue making earlier CyberKnife systems, he said.

Keys to the future

The releases come at a critical time for the company. Levine, who stepped in for outgoing boss Euan S. Thomson in early October, told investors in a call shortly after taking over that the new platforms would be "keys to our revenue growth."

Gliessmann, who got his start as a medical physicist, said so far the reception has been positive.

"It's for me, personally, also very encouraging seeing the resonance of the new products in these short two and a half days," he said, referring to the ASTRO show, which began Sunday. "It's overwhelming. I've not had this experience anywhere else."

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