PATIENT POSITIONING METHOD AND APPARATUS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A CHARGED PARTICLE CANCER THERAPY SYSTEM
First Claim
1. An apparatus for positioning a tumor in a head of a patient for treatment with charged particles, comprising:
- a patient positioning system, comprising an about vertical movement control element configured to constrain movement of the head; and
a charged particle irradiation system comprising a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path configured to terminate about horizontally within the tumor within about ten inches of said about vertical movement control element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention comprises a semi-vertical or seated patient positioning, alignment, and/or control method and apparatus used in conjunction with multi-axis charged particle or proton beam radiation therapy of cancerous tumors. Patient positioning constraints are used to maintain the patient in a treatment position, including one or more of: a seat support, a back support, a head support, an arm support, a knee support, and a foot support. One or more of the positioning constraints are movable and/or under computer control for rapid positioning and/or immobilization of the patient. The system optionally uses an X-ray beam that lies in substantially the same path as a proton beam path of a particle beam cancer therapy system. The generated image is usable for: fine tuning body alignment relative to the proton beam path, to control the proton beam path to accurately and precisely target the tumor, and/or in system verification and validation.
231 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus for positioning a tumor in a head of a patient for treatment with charged particles, comprising:
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a patient positioning system, comprising an about vertical movement control element configured to constrain movement of the head; and a charged particle irradiation system comprising a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path configured to terminate about horizontally within the tumor within about ten inches of said about vertical movement control element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for positioning a tumor in a head of a patient for treatment with charged particles, comprising:
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positioning the head of the patient using a patient positioning system, said patient positioning system comprising an about vertical support configured to semi-immobilize position of the head of the patient; and irradiating the tumor with the charged particles from a charged particle irradiation system, the charged particles terminating along an about horizontal axis within the tumor within about ten inches of said vertical support. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for treating a tumor of a patient with charged particles, comprising:
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using a patient positioning system configured to semi-immobilize position of the patient; and monitoring a respiration signal, said respiration configured to respond to respirations of the patient; delivering the charged particles to a volume within the tumor, wherein said volume comprises a largest cross-section distance of less than about three millimeters, wherein said step of delivering occurs during at least sixty percent of the respirations of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A method for treating a tumor of a patient with charged particles, comprising:
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using a patient positioning system configured to semi-immobilize position of the patient; monitoring a respiration signal, said respiration configured to respond to respiration of the patient; focusing the charged particles to a volume within the tumor, wherein said volume comprises a largest cross-section distance of less than about three millimeters, scanning said volume inside the tumor, wherein said step of scanning varies energy of the charged particles without adjusting a horizontal position or vertical axis position of said volume; and after said step of scanning, positioning said volume to a new horizontal position and/or a new vertical position and repeating said step of scanning.
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Specification