LINAC Technology Will Bring Life-Saving Cancer Care Closer to Home

For decades, a cancer diagnosis has meant more than a medical battle for El Paso families. It meant traveling far for treatment and making difficult decisions about whether specialized treatment was even within reach.

That reality is beginning to change. 

This spring, a major milestone took place when Texas Tech Health El Paso secured $1.031 million in federal funding to acquire linear accelerators (LINACs) for the future Fox Cancer Center. The funding, secured through the efforts of U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, will bring an important tool in modern cancer treatment to the region. 

“I am so proud that El Paso will soon have a cancer center where members of our community can access the care they need and not have to seek help elsewhere,” Escobar said. “It was my honor to bring $15 million in Community Project Funding back to El Paso, including $1.031 million for Texas Tech Health El Paso for the cancer center to acquire a LINAC.” 

LINACs are the technology behind external-beam radiation therapy, delivering high-energy radiation that precisely targets tumors. For many patients, radiation therapy is a critical part of treatment, and having local access can improve both outcomes and quality of life.

Texas Tech Health El Paso President Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., said there is an urgent need in our community for this state-of-the-art cancer treatment technology. 

“Half the people in our neighborhood diagnosed with cancer will need radiation therapy,” said Dr. Lange. “This LINAC machine allows us to deliver very high-energy radiation to cancer tissue while protecting the healthy tissue around it.”

But the impact extends beyond patient care. 

The LINAC machines will also support research efforts aimed at understanding how cancer affects our population along the U.S.-Mexico border. Home to one of the nation’s largest Hispanic communities, our region faces disproportionately high rates of several cancers yet remains underrepresented in cancer research and clinical trials. Bringing treatment and research together, the Fox Cancer Center will generate new knowledge and expand access to innovative therapies. 

For the Borderplex, the arrival of LINAC technology is more than the acquisition of sophisticated equipment. It’s fulfilling the promise to bring world-class cancer care, groundbreaking research, and renewed hope close to home.