CHARGED PARTICLE BEAM THERAPY SYSTEM HAVING AN X-RAY IMAGING DEVICE

• US 20100272241A1
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ion Beam Applications s.a.
• Original Assignee: Ion Beam Applications s.a.
• Inventors: Amelia, Jean-Claude, Genin, Frederic
• Granted Patent: US 8,111,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/197
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1061 using an x-ray imaging system having a separate imaging source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam

Abstract

Therapy system (100) for irradiating a target volume (2) of a patient (1) with a charged particle beam (6), including a beam generator (3), a beam transport system (4), and a nozzle (5) for distributing the beam to the target volume (2), the nozzle (5) being, when in operation, under vacuum. The therapy system comprises an X-ray device (10) which is rotatably mounted inside the nozzle (5) between a first position and a second position. In the first position, an X-Ray source (12) within the X-Ray device is able to emit X-Rays along a charged particle beam path for generating an X-Ray image on a corresponding X-Ray receiving device (11) arranged opposite to the patient (1), said X-Ray image serving to determine a correct position of the target volume (2) with regard to the charged particle beam (6). In the second position, the X-Ray device (10) is set outside of a charged particle beam treatment path envelope (23), so that the charged particle beam (6) can reach and irradiate the target volume (2).

Claims

1. Therapy system (100) for irradiating a target volume (2) within a patient (1) with a charged particle beam (6), comprising

a charged particle beam generator (3),

a beam transport system (4) for transporting the charged particle beam (6),

a nozzle (5) for delivering the charged particle beam (6) to the target volume (2),

an X-Ray device (10) comprising an X-Ray source (12) for emitting X-Rays towards the target volume (2), the X-Ray device (10) being movably mounted into the nozzle (5) between a first position wherein the X-Ray device (10) is inside of a treatment path envelope (23) of the charged particle beam (6) within the nozzle (5) and a second position wherein the X-Ray device (10) is outside of said treatment path envelope (23),

an X-Ray receiving device (11) mounted opposite to the patient (1) with regard to the X-Ray source (12), and in optical alignment with the X-Ray source (12) when the X-Ray device (10) is in the first position,

wherein the therapy system further comprises vacuum means (7) for creating a vacuum within the nozzle (5) so that, in operation, an internal air pressure inside the nozzle is lower than an external air pressure outside the nozzle, and the X-Ray device (10) is rotatably mounted into the nozzle between the first and the second position about a rotation axis (20).

2. Therapy system according to claim 1, wherein the X-Ray device (10) comprises a container (14) inside which the X-Ray source (12) is mounted, said container (14) having a cylindrical neck (30) whose axis is the rotation axis (20), said cylindrical neck (30) extending in an airtight manner through a circular opening of the nozzle (5) and emerging at an open side (31) of the neck at least partially outside of the nozzle (5) so that an inside of the container (14) is, in operation, at the external air pressure.

3. Therapy system according to claim 2, further comprises driving means (40) for rotating the X-Ray device (10) about the rotation axis (20), and the driving means (40) are at least partially arranged outside of the nozzle (5).

4. Therapy system according to claim 2, further comprising electrical conductors (41) for providing electrical power to the X-ray source (12), said electrical conductors (41) connecting the X-Ray source (12) to an electric power source arranged outside of the nozzle (5) and said electrical conductors 41 passing through the open side (31) of the cylindrical neck (30) of the container (14).

5. Therapy system according to claim 1, wherein the rotation axis (20) is substantially perpendicular to the central propagation axis (22) of the charged particle beam.

6. Therapy system according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle (5) further comprises a removable hollow lid (42) for receiving the X-Ray device (10) into the second position.