Linear accelerators are extraordinary machines that represent a true miracle of human invention. They safely generate beams of radiation that kill cancer and save human lives. And yet many of these wonderful machines, after years of use and treatment of patients, are often not worth any money.
Varian low/single photon energy linear accelerator machines manufactured in the 1970’s through the early 1990’s often contain depleted uranium shielding (also referred to as counterweights), a radioactive material that must be handled appropriately during the removal and disposal of this equipment.
Each week we field calls from radiation oncology clinics throughout the United States offering their used, and often not-so-used, brachytherapy machines—in particular, HDR (high dose rate systems) systems manufactured by Xoft, Elekta (formerly Nucletron) and Varian. So if you are an owner of a Xoft Axxent; an Elekta Microselectron V2, V3 or Flexitron; or Varian GammaMed or Varisource, you may be out of luck.
This is a question we often field at ROS. It’s also not that easy to find the answer for various manufacturers in one place. We spent some time looking into the requirements for Varian, Elekta and Siemens. The following table shows the general room dimensions for the indicated makes and models.
Acquiring and installing a Varian iX linear accelerator is an expensive proposition, especially one that is less than ten years old. Rarely can you find a 2007 or newer Varian iX linear accelerator for under $160,000, installed*.
When entering into a service agreement for an Elekta linear accelerator, it’s useful to know the lifespan of the parts, which can vary according to patient load and dose-rate at your radiation oncology practice. Depending on the type of service contract you have, this information can provide useful guidance on the repair and maintenance estimates over the many years you may be using your Elekta machine.
In the chart below, we have provided the average lifespan of various parts, based on feedback provided by facilities with differing levels of patient loads.
