Compact Isocentric Gantry

• US 20110101236A1
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ProNova Solutions, LLC (Provision Health Alliance)
• Original Assignee: ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc.
• Inventors: Anferov, Vladimir, Cameron, John M., Antaya, Timothy A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,575,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/396.ML
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1043 Scanning the radiation beam, e.g. spot scanning or raster scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1077 Beam delivery systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1081 Rotating beam systems with a specific mechanical construction, e.g. gantries

Abstract

A gantry for administering proton beam therapy with improvements which reduce the size, weight, costs and radiation beam loss associated with proton beam therapy systems currently commercially available. The gantry utilizes achromatic superconducting multi-function electromagnet systems wherein the magnets can include dipoles and quadrupoles. The achromatic properties of the rampable magnet systems allow for ease of transmission of the beam whose energy is rapidly changed through a large range of different energies without changing of the strength of the magnetic fields or dipole settings. The magnets may be made with either low or high temperature superconductors. The gantry design further integrates beam scanning but keeps the gantry isocentric. A much greater fraction of the beam can be transmitted through the gantry than with current art, thereby reducing radiation shielding requirements and the demand put on the accelerator to produce large quantities of proton beam.

Claims

1. An isocentric gantry configured to deliver particle radiation therapy to a patient, comprising:

a plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets arranged in a particle beam line and configured to change a direction of the particle beam line, the plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets comprising at least one superconducting magnet; and

a support frame sized and configured to support the plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets.

2. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the at least one superconducting magnet has variable magnetic strength.

3. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, further comprising at least one double bend achromat arranged in the particle beam line and configured to provide achromatic beam optics of the particle beam line.

4. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the at least one superconducting magnet is rampable and the isocentric gantry has a momentum acceptance ranging from approximately +/−

2% and +/−

10%.

5. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets comprise at least one ambient temperature magnet.

6. The isocentric gantry of claim 3, wherein the at least one double bend achromat comprises at least one dipole and at least one quadrupole.

7. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, further comprising at least one double bend achromat and at least one ambient temperature magnet arranged in the particle beam line.

8. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the at least one superconducting magnet comprises a low temperature superconducting material.

9. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the at least one superconducting magnet comprises a high temperature superconducting material.

10. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets are configured to transmit the particle beam line whose energy is rapidly changed without changing a magnetic field strength or dipole settings.

11. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, further comprising a scanning magnet arranged in the particle beam line configured to facilitate beam scanning.

12. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, the frame being configured to rotate around an isocenter.

13. The isocentric gantry of claim 12, wherein the frame has a swept volume of less than 300 cubic meters.

14. The isocentric gantry of claim 13, wherein the frame has a source to isocenter distance greater than 2.2 meters.

15. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the gantry being configured to focus the particle beam line at an isocenter ranging from 1 to 10 millimeters root mean squared spot size.

16. The isocentric gantry of claim 5, wherein the at least one ambient temperature magnet comprises an ambient temperature quadrupole magnet.

17. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets further comprise a first double bend achromat arranged as dipole-quadrupole-quadrupole-quadrupole-dipole having an approximately 60 degree bend, and a second double bend achromat arranged as dipole-quadrupole-quadrupole-quadrupole-dipole having an approximately 150 degree bend.

18. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets further comprise a first double bend achromat arranged as dipole-quadrupole-quadrupole-quadrupole-dipole having an approximately 60 degree bend, a second double bend achromat arranged as dipole-quadrupole-quadrupole-quadrupole-dipole having an approximately 60 degree bend, and a third double bend achromat arranged as dipole-quadrupole-quadrupole-quadrupole-dipole having an approximately 90 degree bend.

19. The isocentric gantry of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dipole and quadrupole electromagnets further comprise at least one double bend achromat configured to change the direction of the particle beam line by an angle between approximately 45 degrees and 90 degrees.