Radiation Oncology Associates receives second LINAC machine

ALBANY — Radiation Oncology Associates at the Phoebe Cancer Center received its second Elekta linear accelerator earlier this month following an effort to replace outdated equipment while obtaining an improved ability to provide precise radiation doses to patients undergoing cancer treatment.

The equipment generates radiation for the treatment of a variety of cancers and is meant to give ROA an improved capability for stereotactic radiosurgery. It also provides more precise radiation due to advanced imaging that is incorporated into the machine, officials at Phoebe said.

The LINAC is the second to be installed at ROA over the past year. The availability of two machines is meant to allow for greater access to patients receiving regular treatments at the facility.

“With our first LINAC, we are already witnessing an overall improved patient experience,” said Dr. Jay McAfee, medical director for Radiation Oncology and an ROA physician. “This second machine will allow us to treat more patients comfortably, with fewer side effects and will give us enhanced capability for our radiosurgery program.”

Proper assembly and installation of the equipment takes nearly a month before undergoing roughly two months of calibration and testing. The staff is then trained on the machine before it is used to treat patients.

The first LINAC was delivered in January and used in the treatment of its first patient in May. The second machine is expected to be ready for use early next year.

In addition to receiving this newest LINAC, ROA is celebrating an achievement of Bipin Agarwal, its chief physicist. He was recently awarded a lifetime achievement award in medical physics from the Indo American Society of Medical Physics, and he has been nominated for fellowship by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Agarwal is responsible for the technical oversight of the delivery and accuracy of radiation.