A linear accelerator is commonly used in external beam radiation treatments, for patients with cancer. Linear accelerator customizes high energy x-rays or electrons depending on a tumor’s shape and destroys cancer cells while sparing surrounding normal tissue. It is designed with build-up safety features to ensure that it will not deliver a higher dose than prescribed. The linear accelerator is used to treat all parts or organs of the body, by delivering high-energy x-rays or electrons to the region of the patient's tumor. A radiation oncologist prescribes the appropriate treatment volume and dosage of radiation. Furthermore, the medical physicist and the dosimetrist determine how to deliver the prescribed dose and calculate the amount of time it will take the accelerator to deliver that dose. Then, radiation therapists operate the linear accelerator and give patients their daily radiation treatments.

Linear Accelerators for Radiation Market Drivers

Increasing number of initiatives by various government and private organizations in early diagnosis of cancer, increases the survival rate, and reduces cancer mortality rate, and this is expected to help to boost market growth of linear accelerators for radiation. For instance, in February 2017, World Health Organization (WHO) proposed new guidelines to improve survival rate of people living with cancer, by ensuring that health service providers can focus on diagnosing and treating the disease earlier. WHO proposed three steps to early diagnosis are: improve public awareness of different cancer symptoms, invest in strengthening and equipping health services and training and ensuring people living with cancer can access safe and effective treatment. Moreover, Cancer Research UK organized Early Diagnosis Research Conference in February 2017, to share and discuss latest developments in early diagnosis research.

Growth of the linear accelerators for radiation market size is driven by increasing prevalence and incidence of various types of cancer, along with growing patient awareness programs by government and private organizations, and rising adoption of radiotherapy in cancer treatment. For instance, according to the Cancer Atlas: 2017, there were an estimated 14.1 million new cancer cases in 2012. Moreover, India, China, and other East and Central Asian countries accounted for nearly half of world’s new cancer cases and deaths, in 2017. Furthermore, according to the same source, by 2025, there will be an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and 11.4 million cancer deaths, in less developed regions.

According to data findings by the World Health Organization (WHO), in February 2018, cancer is the second-leading cause of death globally, accounting for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Also, the number of new cases of cancer is expected to rise by 70% in the near future, globally, according to the same source. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in 2012, an estimated 14.1 million new cancer cases were reported. Among these, the most common form of cancer was lung cancer (13%), breast cancer (11.9%), and colorectal cancer (9.7%), globally. According to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) International, 2015 data findings, 58% of the lung cancer cases were reported in the emerging economies, in 2014. Hungary had the highest rate of lung cancer, followed by Serbia, and North Korea. Moreover, highest incidence of lung cancer was registered in North America and Europe, for the same year. Moreover, according to the Cancer Research UK, 2015 statistics, 55,122 new cases of breast cancer were registered in 2015, U.K. In the U.K., breast cancer was the most common cancer, accounting for 15% of all new cancer cases in 2015. Furthermore, in 2014, 7% cases of breast cancer were registered among the total cancer deaths in the U.K., according to the same source.

Linear Accelerators for Radiation Market Restraints

Major concerns of affordability and accessibility for the treatment, lack of trained personnel to operate linear accelerators, are some of the limiting factors, which may hinder the future market growth for linear accelerators for radiation.

Linear Accelerators for Radiation Market – Regional Analysis

Geographically, global linear accelerators for radiation market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Africa. Growing adoption of linear accelerators by prominent cancer treatment centers, worldwide; and upgrading the conventional treatment, will augment growth of the linear accelerators for radiation market, in the near future. In May 2016, Leeds Cancer Centre, a leading providers of cancer care in the U.K. updated its existing treatment equipment with eight Elekta Versa HD linear accelerators. The Versa HD linear accelerators combined with Volumetric Arc Therapy (VMAT) allows to deliver complex head and neck cancer therapy up to 42% faster. Furthermore, in November 2017, Romanian government signed for five Elekta linear accelerators, to supply the country with sophisticated radiation therapy devices. In addition, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre from Canada and Odense University Hospital from Denmark in December 2016, also ordered high-field MR-supported linear accelerator (MR-linac). Both Versa HD linear accelerator and high-field MR-supported linear accelerator (MR-linac) are manufactured by Elekta AB.

Linear Accelerators for Radiation Market – Competitor

Some of the key players in the linear accelerators for radiation market include Elekta AB, Siemens Healthcare, Varian Medical Systems, Inc., Accuray Incorporated, Shinva Medical Instrument Co., Ltd., and among other.

Key players in this market are collaborating and sharing their expertise in the radiation therapy to offer comprehensive and effective solution to patients with cancer. For instance, in June 2013, Siemens Healthcare and Varian Medical Systems successfully developed and deployed a software interface that connects Varian’s ARIA oncology information system with Siemens’ ONCOR and PRIMUS accelerators and imaging systems. In September 2017, Elekta and Brainlab collaborated, to integrate the use of Elekta’s Versa HD linear accelerator and Brainlab’s ExacTrac patient positioning and monitoring technology.

Linear Accelerators for Radiation Market – Taxonomy

By Device Type

Dedicated Linear Accelerator

Non-Dedicated Linear Accelerator

By Therapy

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT)

Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT)

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS)

Stereotactic Body Radio Therapy (SBRT)

By Cancer Type:

Lung Cancer

Breast Cancer

Prostate Cancer

Head and Neck Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Other Cancers

By End User:

Hospitals

Oncology Centres

Cancer Research Institutes

By Region