GENERAL INFORMATION

Self-shielded and mobile linear accelerator for intraoperative radiotherapy LIAC with electrons.

• ¿What is LIAC | SIT Sordina?
  It is the first compact, mobile and self-shielded linear accelerator that quickly and safely delivers IOERT to cancer patients during the surgical procedure of tumor removal. Intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) delivered with LIAC means new hope for cancer patients, allowing surgeons and radiotherapists to irradiate the tumor at the same time as surgery.
• Benefits of LIAC | SIT Sordina
  IOERT is the direct application of radiation with electrons to residual tumors or the tumor bed during surgery for cancer resection. Electron beams are useful for the administration of intraoperative radiotherapy since, depending on the energy of the electrons, the dose drops rapidly when hitting the target, with less damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
  
  IOERT is also called “precision radiotherapy” since the doctor can see the tumor, normal tissues can be excluded from the field and critical structures can be protected.
  
  It has the particularity of being administered during surgery, when residual tumor cells, often microscopic, are more vulnerable and can be destroyed more easily. It can also be combined with external radiotherapy, resulting in shorter treatments and a lower total dose.
• About LIAC | SIT Sordina
  ✅ Immediate results: 2 minutes of treatment with LIAC, in the operating room, are enough to destroy the residual cancer cells in the tumor bed.
  
  ✅ Shorter treatment time: LIAC not only reduces surgery time and infection risks, but also shortens pre- and postoperative radiotherapy treatment.
  
  ✅ Reduces or eliminates patient stress: they do not have to be transported to or from the external radiotherapy treatment center because they can now be treated only once, during surgery, making treatment more tolerable for the patient.
  
  ✅ Directly irradiates residual cancer cells.
  
  ✅ Eliminates damage to healthy tissue surrounding the cancer.
  
  ✅ Reduces local recurrence rate: prevents the spread of cancer cells after surgery.
  
  ✅ Fewer side effects: LIAC directly irradiates the affected tissue allowing the surgeon to protect healthy organs and tissues, achieving better local control of the tumor.
• How did the mobile IOERT come about?
  Intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) has great potential in the treatment of cancer. Before LIAC, most IOERT patients were transferred from the operating room to the radiation suite to receive their IOERT treatment, under anesthesia and with an open wound, with all the complications that this entailed.
  
  After treatment, they were transferred back to the operating room to complete the surgery.
  
  This was inefficient for both the surgical and radiotherapy departments, and also put the patient's safety at risk by subjecting them to a longer surgical intervention, with a longer time under anesthesia and risks of infection when being transferred outside the sterile environment.
  
  LIAC has changed the way cancer patients are treated around the world.