GUWAHATI: As a part of its initiative for infrastructure development, the Department of Atomic Energy, the government of India installed a state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine at Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) for cancer patients in Assam and the Northeast.
This will be inaugurated by K N Vyas, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, on February 8.
The Linear Accelerator machine has enhanced features of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).
Authorities at BBCI informed that every year around 4000 new cancer patients are treated by radiotherapy in the institute with a 75,000 working load of patients. The newly installed LINAC has dual photon energy which shall be useful to treat all kinds of tumours with the VMAT delivery technique, which will reduce the treatment time.
With this, BBCI now has four Linear Accelerators with high-end features and two tele-cobalt machines.
Furthermore, this state of the art facility can be availed by patients belonging to underprivileged sections of society who are afflicted with cancer, as the hospital will offer the LINAC at subsidized rates.
