Answers to The Top 4 Questions About Radiation Therapy

Anyone that is starting a new medical treatment has a right to be a little nervous.  This article is being written to help ease the anxiety of cancer patients that are scheduled for radiation therapy.  Fear comes because of the unknown and common misunderstandings patients have about radiation. 
Radiation therapy is delivered using a large piece of medical equipment known as a linear accelerator.  With maintenance, repairs, and part replacement linear accelerators can deliver radiation to an average number of patients for between five and ten years.  Below we will answer the most commonly asked questions about radiation therapy using a linear accelerator, LINAC.

Is Radiation Therapy Painful?

Thankfully radiation therapy is not painful.  Patients often report that they do not experience any sensation when the radiation is delivered from the LINAC.   A few patients have reported that they feel a slight warm tingle in the area where the LINAC is delivering radiation.  The skin in the area where linear accelerators deliver treatment can become dry and itchy over time.  This can cause some discomfort but definitely not enough to stop treatment.  Skin reactions due to radiation can be treated with over the counter ointment. 

Does Radiation Therapy Cause Me to Be Radioactive?

Radiation therapy only makes patients radioactive when internal radiation is given.  Patients are radioactive while the radioactive materials are in them.  These patients are secluded in a private hospital room.  Patients that are treated using a LINAC through external radiation, will not be radioactive at all.  External radiation delivers a precise dose of radiation to the cancerous tissues instantaneously.  With external radiation the radiation does not linger. Once the LINAC is turned off the radiation isn’t an issue.  In external radiation, patients can continue on their normal routines without worry. 

Will I Lose My Hair During Radiation Therapy?

Radiation is considered a localized treatment which means that it focuses directly on the area being treated.  This being said you can expect hair loss in the area of treatment however unless treatment is done on your head you shouldn’t experience hair loss.  Confusion occurs because people associate radiation and chemotherapy as one in the same therapies.  The difference is that chemotherapy is a systemic treatment which means it affects the entire body.  During chemotherapy there is a likelihood that patients will lose their hair.

Should I Expect to Experience Nausea and Vomiting? 

Radiation therapy doesn’t usually cause patients to feel sick.  If treatment is given in areas such as the liver, brain, or gastrointestinal tract patients have more of a risk to experience nausea.  Also, patients that are going through chemotherapy and radiation at the same time there is more of a risk for feeling ill.
Radparts is the world’s largest independent distributor of OEM replacement parts for Linear Accelerators and Radiation Oncology equipment.  Radparts provides high quality, user friendly, low cost parts support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment. More information can be found at https://www.radparts.com/.

Does It Cost Money to Have an Old Linear Accelerator System Removed?

This is a frequently asked questions when healthcare centers are starting the process to budget for the purchase of a new or refurbished Linear Accelerator.  It is important to not be surprised when it comes to financial obligations within a medical organization.  The answer is Yes, there is a cost to have old LINAC systems removed from your facility.  There is a cost to have new equipment installed as well but that is often combined with the price you pay for the equipment itself. 

Although linear accelerators are a machine that offers a priceless treatment in the fight against cancer with lifesaving radiation beams treating thousands of patients for countless number of years, they do become worthless.  Like most machines, over time the labor and linear accelerator parts cost more to repair the LINAC machine than it is worth.  When this occurs, the machine is worth nothing and needs not only to be removed but also properly disposed of. 

 Another element to add to the mix is the introduction of new technology.  This is a reoccurring issue that is seen in medical equipment.  Older machines cannot be updated to run properly with the latest and greatest treatments and therefore simple become worthless.  Yep, even some LINAC machines with life left in them become obsolete to healthcare providers promoting the latest and greatest treatments.  Although these machines are worthless to these facilities they can often be moved and utilized by other facilities such as veterinarians, possible dermatologists, and of course in poverty-stricken locations that would otherwise go without. 

When a linear accelerator has been deemed to have little to know value, meaning no one is willing to pay you for it, your facility will face the cost of removal.  This cost includes professional and safe dismantling, removal, and disposal of the LINAC.  This process often requires the system to be loaded onto a crane as they weigh several thousand pounds.  This should be done by professionals to prevent catastrophe. After the machine has been removed from the facility it will be tested for radioactivity and disposed of once they are cleared. 

At the end of the day, when all is said and done the cost to have a large scaled piece of medical equipment such as a linear accelerator removed, dismantled, and disposed of ranges between $5,000 and $25,000.   

Radparts is the world’s largest independent distributor of OEM replacement parts for Linear Accelerators and Radiation Oncology equipment.  Radparts provides high quality, user friendly, low cost parts support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment. More information can be found at https://www.radparts.com/.