Methods for Implementing Microbeam Radiation Therapy
First Claim
1. A method of performing radiation therapy on a subject comprising:
- delivering a therapeutic dose of high energy electromagnetic radiation substantially only to a target tissue by generating a broad beam radiation effect substantially only within the target tissue, the broad beam radiation effect not being generated in non-target tissue, said delivering comprising irradiating the target tissue with at least one array of microbeams, the at least one array comprising at least two parallel, spatially distinct microbeams.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of performing microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) includes delivering a dose only to selected tissue in a target volume (10) with continuous broad beam, first, by interleaving arrays of microplanar beams (30,36) only at the target (10). Administered contrast agents can supplement the effect by preferentially increasing the target dose relative to dose in normal tissue. A broad beam effect is alternatively created using non-interleaving microbeam array(s) with scattering agents administered to selected tissue that preferentially increase valley dose (69) within target to approximate broad beam. The methods of interleaving microbeams are also applied to treat diseases and conditions by ablating at least a portion of selected tissue, or by damaging blood-brain barrier for efficient drug and/or cell administration. A system for performing interlaced microbeam radiosurgery preferably includes two orthogonal radiation source arms (102) for producing and interleaving microbeam arrays (30,36) at the target volume (10). The methods treat tumors, pain, epilepsy, and neurological diseases.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method of performing radiation therapy on a subject comprising:
delivering a therapeutic dose of high energy electromagnetic radiation substantially only to a target tissue by generating a broad beam radiation effect substantially only within the target tissue, the broad beam radiation effect not being generated in non-target tissue, said delivering comprising irradiating the target tissue with at least one array of microbeams, the at least one array comprising at least two parallel, spatially distinct microbeams. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of performing radiation therapy on a subject comprising:
delivering a therapeutic dose of X-ray radiation substantially only to a target tissue by generating a broad beam radiation effect substantially only within the target tissue, said delivering comprising; irradiating the target tissue in an irradiation direction with at least one array of microbeams, the at least one array comprising at least two parallel, spatially distinct microbeams; and providing a concentration of a radiation scattering agent substantially only to the target tissue, the radiation scattering agent scattering the X-ray radiation in a substantially perpendicular direction to the irradiation direction and raising a valley dose between each of the at least two parallel, spatially distinct microbeams. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A method of performing radiation therapy on a subject comprising:
delivering a therapeutic dose of X-ray radiation substantially only to a target tissue by generating a substantially continuous broad beam of radiation substantially only to the target tissue, said delivering comprising; irradiating the target tissue with at least two non-intersecting microbeam arrays, each of the at least two non-intersecting microbeam arrays comprising at least two parallel, spatially distinct microbeams, wherein each of the at least two parallel, spatially distinct microbeams comprises a beam thickness, a beam width, and a beam plane, and wherein the at least two non-intersecting arrays comprise parallel beam planes and an inter-beam spacing between adjacent microbeams, the inter-beam spacing in each of the at least two non-intersecting arrays being substantially equal to or greater than the beam thickness; interleaving the at least two non-intersecting microbeam arrays substantially only within the target tissue to form the substantially continuous broad beam of radiation, said interleaving further comprising; irradiating the target tissue in a first irradiation direction with a first one of the at least two non-intersecting arrays of microbeams; angularly displacing a second one of the at least two non-intersecting arrays from the first one of the at least two non-intersecting arrays by rotating one of the subject and a source generating the at least two non-intersecting arrays about an axis positioned through a center of the target tissue, the axis being perpendicular to the parallel beam planes; translating the second one of the at least two non-intersecting arrays in a direction perpendicular to the parallel beam planes by a distance substantially equal to the beam thickness; and irradiating the target tissue in a second irradiation direction with the second one of the at least two non-intersecting arrays. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A method of performing radiation therapy on a subject suffering from a disease or condition, the method comprising:
delivering a dose of high energy electromagnetic radiation to selected tissue in a target volume in an amount sufficient to damage or ablate at least a portion of the selected tissue without inducing permanent damage to tissue external to the target volume by generating a broad beam radiation effect only within the target volume, said delivering comprising; irradiating the selected tissue with at least two arrays of microbeams, each of the at least two arrays comprising at least two parallel, spatially distinct microbeams; and interleaving the at least two arrays at the target volume to form a substantially continuous broad beam of radiation within the selected tissue in the target volume defined by the interleaved microbeams. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A system for performing interlaced microbeam radiosurgery on a selected tissue of a subject, the system comprising:
two radiation source arms for producing two non-intersecting arrays of microplanar beams of high energy electromagnetic radiation, each radiation source arm comprising a radiation source and a slit positioned downstream from the radiation source for forming the microplanar beams, the two radiation source arms beams configured and aligned to interleave the two non-intersecting arrays within a target volume comprising the selected tissue. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50)
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48. The system of claim 48, further comprising at least one shutter upstream of the dosimetry monitor to control the therapeutic dose administered to the subject.
Specification