Linear Accelerators

For decades, a linear accelerator has been the workhorse of the radiation oncologist to treat cancer through a process called external beam radiation therapy. And all Coastal Centers utilize these complex machines.

How do Linear Accelerators Work? 

Linear accelerators speed up electrons to nearly the speed of light inside a vacuum tube and direct this electron beam onto a heavy metal target. What emerges from the other side of the target is a narrowly focused beam of high-energy x-rays, also known as photons. These photons can then be directed through a targeting process from many different angles, all converging on the tumor being treated. In the process some normal tissue is irradiated as the beam passes through it, but this dose is minimal compared to the dose received by the targeted tissues.

All of these machines are very complex and can be moved in an up-and-down as well as side-to-side direction. They tend to be noisy and somewhat frightening at first glance, but they are safe and reliable. And they enable a variety of therapies that include Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT).