megavoltage

High-energy beam treatment

Megavoltage refers to radiation energy in the millions of volts, used primarily in medical contexts for cancer treatment.

Megavoltage radiation penetrates deep into tissue, making it effective for targeting tumors while sparing surface skin: megavoltage therapy, megavoltage X-rays.

The term distinguishes high-energy therapeutic radiation from lower-energy diagnostic imaging.

radiotherapy

linac

Straight-path particle accelerator

linear acceleratorStraight-path particle accelerator
radiation therapyIonizing beams treating malignancies
oncologyCancer medicine specialty

cancer treatment · tumor · electron beam · cobalt-60 · fractionation · treatment planning · dosimetry · gray · therapeutic dose · curative

equipment

linear accelerator

Straight-path particle accelerator

linacStraight-path particle accelerator
gantryOverhead spanning framework
collimatorParallel ray producer

waveguide · magnetron · couch · bunker · shielding · quality assurance

physics

photon

Electromagnetic radiation unit

electronNegative subatomic particle
gamma rayHigh-energy nuclear emission
ionizing radiationElectron-displacing electromagnetic energy

high-energy · penetration · attenuation · scatter · inverse square law

contrast

superficial

Lacking depth or substance

imagingProducing visual representations
soft tissueNon-rigid body structures

Opposites

voltage magnitude

megavoltagelow voltage

Minimal electrical potential

Family

mega, voltage, volt, volts, voltaic, voltmeter, megawatt, megabyte, megahertz

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Rated G