Dual rotation charged particle imaging / treatment apparatus and method of use thereof
First Claim
1. A method for treating a tumor of a patient with positively charged particles, comprising the steps of:
- using a gantry to support a portion of a charged particle beam transport line;
rotating a rotatable gantry support about a rotation axis, said rotatable gantry support connected to said gantry, wherein said step of rotating rotates said gantry and said portion of said charged particle beam transport line about the patient;
providing a primary imaging system connected to a rotatable secondary support, said primary imaging system comprising;
a source system element; and
a detection system element;
rotating said rotatable secondary support, wherein said step of rotating said rotatable secondary support rotates at least said source system element and said detection system element about the tumor;
imaging the tumor, as a function of rotation position of said rotatable secondary support, using said primary imaging system, said step of imaging further comprising the step of;
using said source system element and said detection system element to image the tumor, said source system element comprising at least a portion of an X-ray source system;
treating the tumor, as a function of rotation position of said gantry, using the positively charged particles transported through said charged particle beam transport line;
using a controller to independently rotate, about the patient;
(1) said rotatable gantry support supporting said portion of said charged particle beam transport line and (2) said rotatable secondary support supporting said source system element and said detection system element of said primary imaging system;
extending a first extension section of said rotatable secondary support to position a portion of a secondary source system on a first side of the patient; and
extending a second extension section of said rotatable secondary support to position a portion of a secondary detection system on a second side of the patient.
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Abstract
The invention comprises a method and apparatus for imaging a tumor of a patient using one or more imaging systems positionable about the tumor and treating the tumor using positively charged particles, such as: (1) using a rotatable gantry support to support and rotate a section of a positively charged particle beam transport line about a rotation axis and a tumor of a patient; (2) using a rotatable and optionally extendable secondary support to support, circumferentially position, and laterally position a primary and optional secondary imaging system about the tumor; (3) image the tumor using the primary and optional secondary imaging system as a function of rotation and/or translation of the secondary support; and (4) treat, optionally concurrently with imaging, the tumor using the positively charged particles as a function of circumferential position of the section of the charged particle beam about the tumor.
385 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for treating a tumor of a patient with positively charged particles, comprising the steps of:
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using a gantry to support a portion of a charged particle beam transport line; rotating a rotatable gantry support about a rotation axis, said rotatable gantry support connected to said gantry, wherein said step of rotating rotates said gantry and said portion of said charged particle beam transport line about the patient; providing a primary imaging system connected to a rotatable secondary support, said primary imaging system comprising; a source system element; and a detection system element; rotating said rotatable secondary support, wherein said step of rotating said rotatable secondary support rotates at least said source system element and said detection system element about the tumor; imaging the tumor, as a function of rotation position of said rotatable secondary support, using said primary imaging system, said step of imaging further comprising the step of; using said source system element and said detection system element to image the tumor, said source system element comprising at least a portion of an X-ray source system; treating the tumor, as a function of rotation position of said gantry, using the positively charged particles transported through said charged particle beam transport line; using a controller to independently rotate, about the patient;
(1) said rotatable gantry support supporting said portion of said charged particle beam transport line and (2) said rotatable secondary support supporting said source system element and said detection system element of said primary imaging system;extending a first extension section of said rotatable secondary support to position a portion of a secondary source system on a first side of the patient; and extending a second extension section of said rotatable secondary support to position a portion of a secondary detection system on a second side of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for treating a tumor of a patient with positively charged particles, comprising:
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a portion of a charged particle beam transport line supported by a gantry; a rotatable gantry support, rotatable about a rotation axis, connected to said gantry, wherein rotation of said rotatable gantry support rotates said gantry and said portion of said charged particle beam transport line about the patient during use; and a primary imaging system comprising a source system element and a detection system element, said primary imaging system connected to a rotatable secondary support, wherein rotation of said rotatable secondary support rotates at least said source system element and said detection system element about the tumor during use, said rotatable secondary support further comprising; an alternately extendable and retractable first side rail attached to said rotatable secondary support; and an alternately extendable and retractable second side rail attached to a rotationally opposite side of said rotatable secondary support from said first side rail, said source system element attached to said first side rail, said detection system element attached to said second side rail, and said rotatable gantry support configured to circumferentially rotate said first side rail and said second side rail around the patient during use at both a first extension position and a second extension position of said first side rail and said second side rail, wherein said primary imaging system images the tumor, as a function of rotation of said rotatable secondary support, during use, wherein the positively charged particles, passing through said charged particle beam transport line, treat the tumor as a function of rotation position of said gantry during use. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification