What to know about a Clinac linear accelerator

The machine moves around the treatment couch so beams can enter from selected angles. It does not make you radioactive, and you do not see or feel the radiation beam while it is being delivered.

Clinac is a brand name used for certain linear accelerators. Your clinical team creates an individual plan from imaging and calculations, shaping the dose around the target while limiting exposure to nearby healthy tissue.

During a session, radiographers help you into the planned position and may use a mask, cushion, or other support to keep the area aligned. Imaging on or near the machine can confirm positioning before treatment begins. Staff leave the room during beam delivery but watch and speak with you through an intercom.

Follow the preparation instructions for your treatment site, which may cover eating, drinking, bladder filling, skin products, or clothing. Keep positioning marks intact if your team asks you to, and report any change that makes it hard to lie still, such as new pain, breathlessness, or anxiety.

Bring an updated medicines list and tell the team about implanted devices or possible pregnancy before treatment. Do not stop prescribed medicine unless the treating clinician advises it.

Contact your radiotherapy team promptly if treatment-area soreness, vomiting, diarrhoea, swallowing difficulty, or fatigue prevents normal drinking, eating, medicines, or basic activity. Seek urgent medical help for severe breathing difficulty, chest pain, collapse, confusion, uncontrolled bleeding, or another rapidly worsening symptom.

Side effects depend on the body area and dose plan, and some can develop after a course ends. Use the contact instructions supplied by your centre rather than waiting for the next appointment when symptoms are escalating.

Ask which area is being treated, how positioning will be checked, what preparation is needed before each visit, and which effects are expected for your particular plan. You can also ask whom to call after hours and whether transport, work, exercise, or caring duties need adjustment during the course.