Linear Accelerators for Radiation; Used to Deliver External Beam Radiation Therapy

 

Linear Accelerators for Radiation 

A linear accelerator (LINAC) is a medical device most commonly used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer. LINAC is a machine that aims radiation at cancer tumors with pinpoint accuracy, sparing nearby healthy tissue. It's used to deliver several types of external beam radiation therapy, including image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). A medical linear accelerator delivers high-energy x-rays or electrons to the region of the patient's tumor.

According Coherent Market Insights the Linear Accelerators for Radiation Market size, Share, Outlook and Opportunity Analysis, 2022-2028.

A linear accelerator is a radiofrequency powered system inside radiation therapy machines (RT) that generates ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells in tumors & lymph nodes. It can be configured vertically for photon beams or horizontally for electrons and is used to deliver a variety of different energy levels. It also provides the ionization required to destroy the nuclei of the target cells to be treated with X-Ray radiation. Linear accelerators are the primary source of high-energy electrons and X-ray radiation for use in radiotherapy.

Linear accelerator is the primary workhorse for radiation oncology. The accelerator delivers high-energy X-rays or electrons to the area of a tumor, killing cancer cells and sparing nearby healthy tissue. It is used in all types of radiation treatments, including IGRT, IMRT, and SRS. The linear accelerators propel particles along a linear beam line. Circular accelerators propel particles around a circular track. Linear accelerators are used for fixed-target experiments, while circular once can be used for both colliding beam and fixed target experiments.

Radiotherapy delivered on a linear accelerator (LINAC) is a form of 'external beam' radiotherapy delivered using high energy X-Rays (photons). LINAC is capable of rotating around a patient lying on a treatment couch, treating the tumor from different angles. This allows the delivery of high doses of radiation to the tumor while reducing the dose to the surrounding normal tissues. LINACs help cancer specialists treat cancers of the brain, head and neck, spine, breast, stomach, esophagus, bladder, lung, rectum, prostate, uterus, liver, and bones.

The main advantage of linear accelerators is that the particles are able to reach very high energies without the need for extremely high voltages. Thus, with the rise in burden of cancer across the globe, the use of demand for linear accelerators is also increasing rapidly. In June 2022, Varian installed a high-tech plant in Tijuana (Mexico). Tijuana is endorsed as an investment pole in the medical industry sector after the inauguration of the Varian plant, which will manufacture high-end components for radiotherapy equipment that will be distributed worldwide.