Megavoltage linear accelerator machines

The workhorse of modern radiotherapy is the linear accelerator which owes its development to the pioneers who worked to produce higher energy beams than the kilovoltage beams upon which teletherapy started. The modern medical linear accelerator was born out of the development of megavoltage treatment machines in the 1950s. At this time, betatrons, auto-transformers and Van de Graff generator designs were utilized to accelerate electron beams to high energy. However, the elegance of acceleration based upon radiofrequency electromagnetic waves became universally adopted to provide high dose-rate megavoltage treatment beams. The fundamental components remain unchanged, although the performance, construction and control systems have been developed considerably to take advantage of modern engineering, technology, electronics and computers. Today, such medical linear accelerators are prolific and provide the vast majority of radiotherapy treatments.

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