GUWAHATI, Feb 13 - As part of its initiative for infrastructure development, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Govt of India has installed a state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine at the Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) for benefit of the people of Assam and the North East. It was inaugurated recently by KN Vyas, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Govt of India.
The new Linear Accelerator machine has enhanced features of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).
Every year around 4,000 new cancer patients are treated by radiotherapy at the institute with a 75,000 working load of patients. The newly installed LINAC has dual photon energy that will prove useful in treating all kinds of tumours with the VMAT delivery technique, which will in turn reduce the treatment time. Availability of flattening filter free (FFF) photon beam with this machine is a boon for treatment of childhood cancers with higher doses, which was not possible with earlier LINACs. This facility is presently available at only a few select cancer centres in the country.
With this, BBCI has four Linear Accelerators with high-end features and two tele-cobalt machines.
Vyas lauded all the employees of BBCI for their hard work and appealed to them to inculcate the work culture of DAE.
