Huge Breakthrough Made in the Development of Creating the Worlds Most Powerful Particle Accelerator

Researchers affiliated with UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) have demonstrated, for the first time, the ionizing cooling of muons. For those who work in the field, this is considered a massive step toward creating the world's most powerful particle accelerator. The new muon accelerator is expected to provide a better understanding of the fundamental properties of matter.

The Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) collaboration has been behind the breakthrough, including many UK scientists. One of the pioneers is Professor Moses Chung, who leads his team at the School of Natural Sciences at UNIST. His organization's work has been featured in the online version of Nature on February 5, 2020.

"We have succeeded in realizing muon ionization cooling, one of our greatest challenges associated with developing muon accelerators," says Professor Chung. "Achievement of this is considered especially important, as it could change the paradigm of developing the Lepton Collider that could replace the Neutrino Factory of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)."

These experiments have demonstrated that the phase-space volume occupied by the muon beam can be controlled with ionization cooling, as predicted by the field's theories.

Read more about this leading breakthrough in particle accelerators, here.

New Cancer Treatment Delivers Weeks of Radiation Therapy in Just One Second

For decades radiation therapy has been used to treat cancer and is still the best option we have at defeating the disease. The downside to radiation therapy is that it often takes weeks or even months for treatment session cycles and comes with collateral damage by also destroying healthy cells in the body.

However, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a way to deliver treatment in under one second. FLASH radiotherapy is an emerging form of therapy that involves giving a patient a one-second dosage of concentrated radiation that they would usually receive over a week. Experiments have proven that the result of the cancerous cells is comparable to the standard treatment duration; however, the exception being that damage to healthy tissue is significantly reduced.

Pennsylvania University researchers found that adjusting the fundamental particle used could make FLASH radiotherapy more effective. Typically, electrons are used in therapy, but they don't penetrate very deep into the body, meaning they're really only useful for shallower cancer types such a skin cancer.

The FLASH therapy model uses protons and showed that linear accelerators could be modified to produce and deliver these particles. Since protons penetrate deeper into body tissue, they can be much more effective in treating more significant tumor types.

"The is the first time anyone has published findings that demonstrate the feasibility of using protons, rather than electrons, to generate FLASH doses, with an accelerator currently used for clinical treatments," says James M. Metz, co-senior author of the study.

Read more on how FLASH treatment is making breakthroughs in treating cancer here.

Radparts provides high quality, user-friendly, and low-cost parts and support for linear accelerators and radiation equipment. More information can be found at https://www.radparts.com.

The Average Life Expectancy of Elekta Linear Accelerator Parts

Over the past few years, companies that produce linear accelerators have been focusing on the service and maintenance areas as the primary source of their business plan. Not surprisingly, service contract sales have increased yearly for all linear accelerator companies. As this is beneficial to investors in this space, it doesn't help the owners of the equipment and medical professionals that use them in their practice.

Many hospitals and clinics are looking for ways to decrease the cost of maintenance and service repairs. The cost of linear accelerator parts and servicing them can get quite pricey, and it can be quite easy to go over-budget very quickly. 

This article will break down the main components that will eventually need to be replaced or serviced in the Elekta linear accelerator and will assist those places looking to do their own maintenance. This will help lower the cost of maintenance and allow for more accurate budget forecasting. 

Below is the average lifespan of a variety of parts that will eventually need to be serviced or replaced and what you can expect of their overall lifetime value. 

Parts:

Magnetron: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 2 Years 

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): 5-6 Years

Low use system (15 patients /day): 5-6 Years

X-ray Tube: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 18 Months                       

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): 3 Years

Low use system (15 patients /day): 4+ Years

XVI Detector: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 5 years

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): 7 Years

Low use system (15 patients /day): 10+ Years

iView Detector: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 2 Years

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): 4 Years

Low use system (15 patients /day): 4 Years

Electron Gun: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 1 year

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): N/A

Low use system (15 patients /day): N/A

Thyratron Tube: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 3 Years

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): 5 years

Low use system (15 patients /day): 5+ Years

Reflectors: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 2-3 Years

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): 2-3 Years

Low use system (15 patients /day): N/A

MLC Camera: 

High use system (35+ patients /day): 2-3 Years (Old Type); Much Longer Now

Moderate use system (<30 patients/day): 2-3 Years (Old Type); Much Longer Now Low use system (15 patients /day): N/A

Depending on your Elekta linear accelerator, the magnetron has considerably different life expectancy expectations. New magnetrons usually are not equipped with a feedback system, which will need to be replaced with 3-4 years. The 18MV, however, is an older machine that has a feedback system that can last up to 10 years. 

The ion chamber of the Elekta part is sensitive to indoor climate and the region in which it is located. High humidity can shorten its lifespan by two-thirds, with a typical chamber lasting within four years and one in higher humidity levels as low as one year. 

High use on a linear accelerator can wear on the electron gun and may need to be replaced within a year, but if not used as frequently can last over six years. 

The thyratron tube is the part that produces the pulses to the electron gun and is one of the most critical components of any linear accelerator. Surprisingly the thyratron tube has a consistent lifespan regardless of usage. The baseline expectation is three years, with a possible stretch of five years if properly taken care of.

Daily patient volume significantly affects the X-ray tube's lifespan, and lower levels of usage will allow several years of operation before needing to be replaced.

Newer models of the Elekta linear accelerator include Versa and the Infinity/Axesse. The VersaHD is still relatively new in terms of linear accelerator world, and many of its components still have yet to be determined for life expectancy. However, looking at earlier models can help gauge these expectations. 

As with all linear accelerators, usage levels will affect the lifespan of the individual components. The main factors that will affect your parts will be humidity levels, patient loads, and dose rates. 

If you need parts to your Elekta linear accelerator, visit Radparts.com. Radparts is the world's largest independent distributor of OEM replacement parts for linear accelerators and radiation oncology equipment.

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.