Updates on the Radiation Markets with a Focus on LINAC

According to ResearchAndMarkets.com, a marketing research provider to businesses, the global radiation therapy market is expected to reach $10.11 billion in 2024, witnessing growth at CAGR of 3.38% over the period 2020-2024. Surging cancer cases, rising healthcare expenditure, economic and population growth with expanding urbanization are predicted to lead the global radiation therapy markets. However, a hindrance to these areas could be expected with stringent regulations and barriers to implementation. 

Advancements in technology, increasing preference towards non-invasive procedures, and public awareness, could be a few notable trends and are likely to develop over the next few years. The global radiation markets can be categorized into external beam radiation therapy, internal beam radiation therapy, and systemic radiotherapy. The external beam radiation therapy market is segregated both by type and device. 

Depending on the type, the global external beam market is segmented into the following categories: intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), tomotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and proton therapy. The global external beam radiation therapy market is also categorized into three areas – LINAC (Linear Accelerators), proton beam therapy devices, and compact advanced therapy devices. 

North America is the fastest-growing market because of the evolving usage in novel technologies, rising disposable income, and healthcare expenses. Rising awareness regarding procedures and sophisticated diagnostic approaches is a big part of the growth in this market. Europe comes in second for the largest market in radiation therapy and has already expanded into deeper economic levels. Radiation therapy treatment products and linear accelerator parts are expected to grow along with the trend in these developing market economies. 

For more information, read more at https://www.itnonline.com/content/radiation-therapy-market-update-focus-linac

Scientists Create a Particle Accelerator That Fits on a Chip

Scientists at Stanford and SLAC have created a silicon chip that can accelerate electrons by using an infrared laser to deliver a similar energy boost that takes microwaves many feet.

In a January issue of Science, a team led by an electrical engineer, Jelena Vuckovic, conveyed how he carved a nanoscale channel out of silicon, sealed it in a vacuum and sent electrons through an opening while beams of infrared light were transmitted by the channel walls to speed the electrons along.

The accelerator-on-a-chip demonstrated in Science is just a prototype. However, Vuckovic said its design and fabrication techniques could be scaled up to deliver particle beams accelerated enough to perform cutting-edge experiments in chemistry.

"The largest accelerators are like powerful telescopes. There are only a few in the world and scientists must come to places like SLAC to use them," Vuckovic said. "We want to miniaturize accelerator technology in a way that makes it a more accessible research tool."

"We can derive medical benefits from the miniaturization of accelerator technology in addition to the research applications," Solgaard said.

Click here to read more about Vuckovic’s research on his discoveries regarding the silicon chip accelerator.

American College of Radiology Issues New Guidelines for Non-Urgent Treatments

On May 6th, 2020, the American College of Radiology (ARC) released new guidelines that can help radiology practices resume non-urgent treatments safely. Treatments that are considered non-urgent are mammograms, oncologic and orthopedic imaging, and image-guided biopsies. Most of these treatments do not include radiation therapy that often involves the use of Linear Accelerators and CT scanners. 

As Coronavirus cases continue to drop in most areas, radiology practices are starting to resume non-urgent care practices to patients. “Radiology practices largely followed the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and SCP guidance to postpone non-urgent care. While local conditions prevent a single prescriptive strategy to resume such care, general principles can apply in most settings…” said American College of Radiology Commission on Quality and Safety Chair, Jacqueline A. Bello, M.D., FACR. 

Read more about the ACR guidelines here. 

Radiotherapy Treatments for Bowel Cancer Patients to Be Shortened Due to COVID-19

An international panel of cancer experts has recommended a one-week treatment protocol for patients who need radiotherapy. On April 7, 2020, the group discussed the best way to minimize the additional issues that radiotherapy treatment causes, namely, weakened immune systems. Surgery, which usually happens one to two weeks after radiotherapy, can be safely delayed by up to 12 weeks, says the expert panel. 

People with bowel cancer are more susceptible to severe complications from COVID-19 because their immune systems are weakened. Shortening the length of radiotherapy replaces the need for chemotherapy, which typically can make the immune system even weaker. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic is a global emergency and we needed to work very quickly to identify changes that would benefit patients. Our recommendations were published 20 days after our first meeting. This process normally takes many months, if not years,” said David Sebag-Montefiore, professor of clinical oncology at the University of Leeds and who lead the panel of cancer experts. 

The panel, which was comprised of 15 top cancer professionals, showed that surgery could be safely postponed after radiotherapy from oncology equipment was performed. This protocol allows surgery to be scheduled after the peak of the pandemic. 

Read more on how radiation therapy has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic here. 

PTW Announces Big News for the BEAMSCAN MR

The PTW has announced the 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the BEAMSCAN MR Motorized 3D Water Phantom. The BEAMSCAN MR is now available on the market within the U.S. PTW has already completed the installation of the first item in North America located at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

This new addition will provide a dedicated, fully equipped solution for beam data commissioning and annual QA of MR-LINACS. The center in Toronto is one of the largest cancer centers in the world. It is home to two state-of-the-art MR-LINAC systems, one being the Elekta Unity machine, which offers BEAMSCAN MR compatibility. To read more information about the BEAMSCAN MR and PTW, read this article here.

Replacing or Upgrading a LINAC? Here’s What You Need to Know.

Radiotherapy is a critical treatment process used in hospitals and clinics for patients with cancer. Therefore, it is extremely important to ensure that you are using the right equipment to gain the highest quality of care. Linear accelerator (LINAC) systems are one of the most expensive assets in terms of medical equipment today. Choosing to replace or upgrade LINAC equipment is a significant matter as it impacts the facility's operations, doctor's decisions, and the patient's health. There are four main categories that equipment can fall into that are based on a hospital or clinic's needs and capabilities.

Newer Equipment with Full Upgrades

Being able to provide the best level of care for patients should be the highest goal for any medical facility. Thus, having new equipment with upgraded features offers the best of the best in terms of care. If a clinic needs to move, it would still be cost-effective to pay the relocation charges, which can be over $100k in expenses, instead of purchasing a new replacement LINAC system.

Newer Equipment with Fewer Upgrades

Choosing a LINAC system with fewer upgrades can save money and might be more appropriate for smaller clinics that see fewer patients. However, specific technologies, like portal imaging, may be beneficial for those who want higher-quality devices. There is a good chance that a facility will be continuing to use this equipment for a while before it depreciates. The best advice is to determine which upgrades would be most appropriate for your office.

Older Equipment with Full Upgrades

If your LINAC system is older than 20 years, it's likely your machine has paid for itself even after additional upgrades. Older equipment can still be reliable, but as technology progresses, they soon will end up costing you more money and become less efficient. Also, if a company needs to relocate, the relocation costs may end up costing you more than a new machine.

Older Equipment with Fewer Upgrades

This remaining category should generally be looked upon as the last consideration. In most cases, equipment will no longer perform the necessary tasks required for treatments. Replacement parts will continue to become sparse and more costly as new machines come into the marketplace, rendering older versions obsolete.

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 and support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment. More information can be found at https://www.radparts.com/.

Monitoring of Patient Movement During Radiotherapy May Get Easier

Research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found using new mmWave technology to be a great asset to perform precise monitoring of patient motion in real-time during radiotherapy treatments. The mmWave technology can monitor displacements with .1mm to 1 mm accuracy at low cost using a simple and easy to use device. Imaging with millimeter waves can overcome obstacles of current techniques like the optical tracking of a patient’s skin surface or CT scanning. This new device can also monitor breathing and cardiac motion that may, in time, replace respirometers or other breathing monitoring devices. To read more about the research and the outcome of mmWave technology, you can read this article for more information.