LINAC Cancer Radiotherapy

External beam radiation is one of the most common types of therapy used to treat patients that are suffering from cancer. The machine that is used to irradiate that beam is called linear accelerator, or simply LINAC, as it’s commonly referred to. The very first LINAC was invented by a Norwegian physicist by the name of Rolf Widerøe, who was experimenting with particles and eventually developed a linear beam line with them.  Eventually, with the evolution of technology LINAC cancer radiotherapy was developed fully and improved to provide relief to those who suffer from the terrible cancer disease.

What is LINAC?

The term LINAC is merely the short version – and almost nickname –of the linear accelerator machine. There are some that refer to it by the full name, but the majority of medical researchers and doctors call it LINAC. When a patient is treated with LINAC cancer radiotherapy, he or she will receive radiation through that beam that irradiates from the LINAC. Furthermore, there are actually two types of LINACs used for cancer radiotherapy and they are known as dedicated and non-dedicated LINAC machines. Dedicated machines are fully equipped to irradiate higher doses of radiation because they are manufactured with a piece called radiation couch. Non-dedicated LINAC machines are not capable of reaching doses as high as the dedicated ones, but they are used quite often for regular cancer radiotherapy treatment.

LINAC Getting Rid of Cancer

LINAC cancer radiotherapy is one of the most common treatments to get rid of cancer. It’s important to understand that the effectiveness of the treatment varies, mainly due to the type of cancer that the patient has, and how far along it has advanced. Your oncologist will be in charge of discussing with the team the different types of radiotherapy methods that can be used to counterattack the condition. Even if they choose to use the dedicated LINAC cancer radiotherapy machine, there are chances that they will also perform surgery to remove the tumor. Sometimes, if the cancer has gone through metastasis and it has spread throughout the body, the only thing that doctors can do is perform LINAC cancer radiotherapy in hopes of relieving the patient from the excruciating pain caused by the condition.

Who Can Operate LINAC?

As a cancer patient, it’s quite normal to wonder every now and then about the staff that handles the heavy machinery, such as the LINAC cancer radiotherapy equipment. Undoubtedly, the doctor is not in charge of performing every task and that is why you will see that there is an entire team dedicated to carrying out the LINAC cancer radiotherapy program. Usually, the nurses will prepare you for the treatment, the doctor will study the reports and the radiotherapists will push the buttons and make sure the LINAC does the job. However, the one in charge of determining the level of radiation to be used is your oncologist or specialist, and the radiation physicist is the one who figures out how long to keep the LINAC machine running for.