ITEM 03 - RADIO THERAPY & LINEAR ACCELERATORS

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How a Linear Accelerator Works  
8mins. 24secs.

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This is the Linear Accelerator I have been callibrated to at Velindre LA3

This is an Elekta Synergy

There is quite an informative brochure for The Elekta Synergy at:
CLICK HERE

The main parts seem to be:

The bed on which one lies is far from comfortable - with your feet in the Red block/stirrups?

Kneed slightly elevated over the formed cushion.

and a positioned head rest (blue).

The bed can be rotated as you can see from the floor and raised and lowered with movements to and fro and from side to side.

The positioning will no doubt be different dependent on which part of you is being 'treated'.

 

Exact positioning will be achieved by the CT scanner which is a part of the instrument

This takes a limited number of slices to reduce XRay irradiation - thus giving an accurate position of the tumour to be treated, in my case the exact position of the uretal stump tumour on the outer surface of the bladder.

Use of the scanner may well only be on some treatments as a check that position has not subtly changed since the last scan.

The LinAc Collimator delivers the accelerated particles focused and targeted.

To exactly the right point as located by the CT Scanner.

A Collimator is a device for focusing and narrowing a beam of particles or a wave length - in this case the accelerated particles.

This schematic shows the beam creation and the  large item in the center, which is the magnatron, produces radio frequency waves which are passed along the wave guide to the electron gun at the extreme left in the diagram.

The electron gun passes the beam over a heated Tungsten element generating electrons whish are accelerated to near the speed of light up the long accelerator tube from left to right.

As the beam of electrons passes along the tube it is refined by passing through a series of small centered holes or irises in succession. The beam is further refined and focusesd to aproximately the width of a pin head by passing througjh a series of magnets.

The heat created, even though the tube is a vacuum, is cooled by a water outer sleeve.

The refined beam enters the flight path and is further refined by bending it through three magnetic fields

The output is then fired at a target creting a beam of XRay particles in a cone shape which is further shaped to treat in the shape of the tumour.

There is, not surprisingly, damage caused to healthy tissue on route in to the tumour and on route out - this is minimised by varying the direction in and out by aiming the beam from different locations, all ensuring maximum dosage for the tumour and minimum dosage for the surrounding tissue.

Damege does occur as a colateral result of aiming to kill the tumour. It is to be hoped that the tumour is killed before irreprable damage is done to surrounding tissue - normal tissue will tend to heal if not too greatly damaged.

A side effect can be that the damaged tissue that was not cancerous may fail in the future as in those who have radiation therapy for prostate problems may have damaged the bladder control or lower colon.

This article CLICK HERE may be of interest to you as it deals with residual damage and the possibility of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a possible aid to healing of surrounding tissues.

I am given to understand that the instrument/machine itself costs between £1.2 & 1.5 Million, when one considers the costs of instalation and security of the site together with the space required it is little wonder that the treatment is on a closely scheduled basis.

I have been most fortunate with my treatment as all of the staff at Velindre are clearly dedicated to their jobs and particularly helpfull answering all of my questions which are not unnaturally based on ignorance - together with no small dose of fear motivated curiosity ;-)

That I have been swimming out of my depth I do hope my simplistic answers to questions will prove of help to those following down the path or their relatives and friends.

Elekta, Inc. 4775 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Building 300, Suite 300, Norcross, GA 30092
Tel: 770-300-9725 Toll: 800-535-7355 Fax: 770-448-6338 www.elekta.com

ELEKTA SYNERGYTM
KEY FACTS

• One in three people will develop cancer during their lifetime with the most common forms

being breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.¹

• Most cancers can be treated alone or in combination with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy

or hormonal therapy.

• Approximately four out of ten people with cancer have radiotherapy as part of their treatment.²

• Elekta Synergy™ is a new radiotherapy treatment system that is the first of its kind to target

cancer tumors via an integrated three-dimensional imaging system.

•  Elekta Synergy™ fulfills the need for increased precision and accuracy in radiotherapy by

delivering more direct and intense radiation to a tumor while avoiding damage to surrounding
healthy tissue.
What is radiotherapy?

•  Radiotherapy is a key form of treatment for approximately four out of ten people with cancer,

where radiation is directed at a patient’s tumor in order to kill the cancerous cells.

•  Radiotherapy is usually administered daily, over a period of time as long as six weeks.

•  While damaging cancer cells, radiation can also affect surrounding healthy cells if it is not

directed with a high degree of accuracy and precision.

•  Traditionally, Computed Tomography (CT) scans have been taken prior to treatment to identify

the exact location of the cancer tumor.

•  The volume of tissue irradiated is increased to account for the uncertainty in the position

of the volume to be irradiated. This uncertainty can be due to a number of causes:
– The accuracy with which the patient can be positioned on the therapy machine.
– Movement within the body (e.g. movement caused by breathing).
– Changes between the time of CT scan and actual treatment.
Elekta, Inc. 4775 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Building 300, Suite 300, Norcross, GA 30092
Tel: 770-300-9725 Toll: 800-535-7355 Fax: 770-448-6338 www.elekta.com
What is Elekta Synergy™?

•  Elekta Synergy™ is an advance radiotherapy system used to treat cancerous tumors.

•  Elekta Synergy™ is the first system of its kind to combine the scanning (X-ray Volume

Imaging or XVI) and treatment processes in radiotherapy to give a ‘real-time’ indication
of the cancer tumor location during treatment.
What are the key benefits of Elekta Synergy™?

•  The high degree of accuracy and precision with Elekta Synergy™ significantly reduces the

number of healthy cells affected by the radiation.

•  The increased accuracy and precision with Elekta Synergy™ offers the promise that higher

doses of radiation can be safely used in treatment, resulting in a shorter treatment process
for the patient and healthcare professional.
Who will benefit from Elekta Synergy™?

•  Anyone suffering from cancer who needs radiotherapy treatment could significantly benefit

from the improved safety, accuracy and efficiency of Elekta Synergy™.

•  Elekta Synergy™ can help to treat some of the most prevalent forms of cancer, such as breast,

prostate and lung.

•  Utilizing radiotherapy resources efficiently will reduce treatment times, thereby reducing

hospital costs and maximising income.
How effective is Elekta Synergy™?

•  The success of Elekta Synergy™ has been brought about through close collaboration with

Elekta clinical partners:
− Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Canada
− William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
− Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK
− The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
“For the first time the cone beam system lets us see what we want to hit with our treatment by
giving us a continuous set of detailed 3-D X-ray images of the patient when the patient is lying
down on the treatment couch. This means we can even move towards better cure rates by safely
increasing the doses we deliver in radiotherapy.”
(Professor Chris Moore, Consultant Physicist, Christie Hospital)
Elekta, Inc. 4775 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, Building 300, Suite 300, Norcross, GA 30092
Tel: 770-300-9725 Toll: 800-535-7355 Fax: 770-448-6338 www.elekta.com
“We can now target the tumor more accurately using three dimensional volume imaging and
closely follow the organ movement before and during treatment.”
(Professor Bartelink, The Netherlands Cancer Institute)
When is Elekta Synergy™ available?

•  Hospitals can currently purchase the Elekta Synergy™ platform with a view to upgrading to the

full Elekta Synergy™ system when it becomes available in August 2004.

•  Elekta Synergy™ is a continually evolving product with the potential to benefit from long-term

technological advancements in the field of radiotherapy.
 

References
1. CancerBACUP website: http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/info/what-is-cancer.htm
2. Cancer Research UK website: http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3586
More information about Elekta Synergy™ is available at www.elekta.com

 

For more details of Velindre's use of Elekta Synergy systems CLICK HERE

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I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!

I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me

I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!

Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.

I do make a lousy patient!

. If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order. . Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar. You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help. . YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way. .

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins

tel: 01291 - 62 65 62

of: Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com TWITTER: Greg_LW Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com  

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