Particle Therapy System

• US 20080237495A1
• Filed: 11/08/2006
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Rietzel, Eike, Herrmann, Klaus, Grozinger, Sven Oliver, Sommer, Andres, Zeuner, Torsten
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/492.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1061 using an x-ray imaging system having a separate imaging source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1063 maintaining the position when the patient is moved from an imaging to a therapy system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/103 Treatment planning systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1043 Scanning the radiation beam, e.g. spot scanning or raster scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1069 Target adjustment, e.g. moving the patient support
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1078 Fixed beam systems

Abstract

A particle therapy system for irradiating a volume of a patient to be irradiated with high-energy particles is provided. The system includes a radiation outlet of a radiation delivery and acceleration system from which a particle beam exits in order to interact with the patient positioned in an irradiation position; an imaging device for verifying the position of the volume to be irradiated in relation to the particle beam; and a patient-positioning device with which the patient can be brought into the irradiation position for irradiation. The imaging device checks the position of the volume to be irradiated in an imaging position of the patient that is spatially remote from the irradiation position, and the patient-positioning device automatically changes position between imaging position and irradiation position.

Claims

1. A particle therapy system for irradiating a volume to be irradiated with high-energy particles, the system comprising:

a beam exit that delivers a particle beam from a radiation delivery and acceleration system, positioned in an irradiation position, the irradiation position being specified in a therapy plan relative to an irradiation isocenter of the particle therapy installation,

an imaging device that verifies the location of the volume to be irradiated with respect to the particle beam,

a patient positioning device, that is operable to position the volume to be irradiated in the irradiation position, the imaging device being operable to verify the location of the volume to be irradiated in an imaging position that is spatially distant from the irradiation position, the patient positioning device being operable to automatically change position between the imaging position and the irradiation position,

wherein the irradiation isocenter is adjustable in its distance from the beam exit.

2. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1, wherein the irradiation isocenter is adjustable as a function of the particle.

3. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1, wherein the imaging position is located between the patient positioning device and the irradiation position.

4. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1, wherein the change of position from the imaging position to the irradiation position is based on a translational motion in the beam direction.

5. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 4, wherein the imaging position includes an imaging center, which is located on a center axis of the particle beam.

6. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1, wherein the spacing between the irradiation position and the treatment position is less than 1 m.

7. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1, through 6, wherein the imaging device is operable to obtain a 3D data set.

8. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1,

wherein the imaging device has dimensions which define a minimum spacing from the beam exit, and the imaging device is located at least at this minimum spacing from the beam exit, and the minimum spacing is greater than the distance between the beam exit and the irradiation isocenter.

9. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1,

wherein the imaging device is a C-arch X-ray machine or an imaging robot, and these are embodied rotatably about the imaging position, in particular about the imaging center, for 3D imaging;

and that a minimum spacing from the beam exit is determined by the rotatability, and the imaging device is located at least at this minimum spacing from the beam exit.

10. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 1,

wherein the patient positioning device includes a robotically triggered treatment table, which is triggerable for displacing the patient from the imaging position to the irradiation position.

17. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 2, wherein the particle may be a proton or carbon or oxygen ion.

18. The particle therapy installation as defined by claim 5, wherein the irradiation isocenter is located on a center axis of the particle beam.

11. A therapy plan for irradiating a patient with particles of a particle therapy system, the therapy plan including:

planning an imaging procedure in which an isocenter of a volume to be irradiated is located in an irradiation center of an imaging device; and

planning an irradiation procedure that includes defining an irradiation isocenter and positioning a patient using a patient positioning device in such way that the irradiation isocenter is located at an isocenter of the irradiation site.

12. The therapy plan as defined by claim 11, comprising:

a reference point for positioning the patient in the imaging position or irradiation position; and

information about a relative position of the imaging position and irradiation position to one another.

13. The therapy plan as defined by claim 12, wherein the information about the relative position includes a displacement vector, which defines a displacement motion of a patient supporting device of the therapy installation, with which device the patient can be displaced from the imaging position into the irradiation position.

14. The therapy plan as defined by claim 13, wherein the displacement vector is parallel to a beam axis of a particle beam.

15. An irradiation method for irradiating a volume to be irradiated of a patient with high-energy particles from a therapy system, the method comprising:

performing an imaging procedure for verification of the location of the volume to be irradiated, in the imaging procedure, imaging of the volume to be irradiated is performed using an imaging device, during which the patient is located in an imaging position;

performing an irradiation procedure, in which the patient, positioned in an irradiation position, is irradiated, and the irradiation position of the patient is specified by a therapy plan relative to an irradiation isocenter of the particle therapy installation and is located spatially distant from the imaging position;

changing a position of the patient from the imaging position to the irradiation position or from the irradiation position to the imaging position using a patient positioning unit.

16. The irradiation method as defined by claim 15, wherein changing a position of the patient include displacing the patient in or counter to the irradiation direction.