COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM FOR ADAPTIVE RADIATION THERAPY

• US 20120041773A1
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Varian Medical Systems International AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Varian Medical Systems International AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Kunz, Patrik, Huber, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/855,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20120041773A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, a computerized method for producing a treatment decision for adaptive radiation therapy (ART) is disclosed. The method comprises several steps. First, patient specific input data regarding a patient and general patient population data are input into a treatment decision engine. Next, this data is analyzed in order to adjust a set of interrelationships and thresholds to fit the ART regimen for which a decision is being processed. In a third step, the interrelationships and thresholds are applied to the data using a processing module which formulates a decision regarding the current ART regimen, and metadata regarding the medical condition of the patient. Finally, the decision and metadata are outputted such that they are accessible to a user. Using such a method, a treatment decision for ART is produced.

Claims

1. A treatment decision engine for use in adaptive radiation therapy comprising:

an input data module that receives patient specific input data regarding a patient;

a patient population data storage module that stores general patient population data;

a decision criteria storage module that stores interrelationships and thresholds that apply to said patient specific input data and said general patient population data;

a processing module that applies said interrelationships and thresholds to said patient specific input data and said general patient population data;

a clinical decision output module that outputs a decision regarding an adaptive radiation therapy regimen for said patient;

wherein said general patient population data comprises clinically relevant information.

2. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said input data module receives data automatically from a medical diagnostic tool.

3. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said input data module receives data manually from a user.

4. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said input data module downloads data from a remote monitoring device.

5. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said interrelationships and thresholds can be modified manually by a user.

6. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein:

said patient population data storage module can be updated through a connection to a first data network; and

said decision criteria storage module can be updated through a connection to a second data network.

7. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said general patient population data is comprised of:

a measure of average tumor variation in response to variant treatment regimens;

a time varying measure of patient weight change for variant treatment regimens;

a time varying measure of average tumor dynamic for variant treatment regimens; and

a measure of organ specific radio-sensitivity.

8. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said patient specific input data is comprised of:

a time varying series of diagnostic electronic images of the afflicted portions of said patient;

a time varying measure of a position of a tumor and at least one organ of said patient;

a time varying measure of a dose distribution and prior planned does distributions; and

a set of clinically relevant information for said patient.

9. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said interrelationships and thresholds are comprised of:

a maximum allowed volume change for the organs of said patient;

a maximum allowed position change of the organs of said patient;

a maximum allowed dose per application for each of said organs;

a maximum allowed overall treatment dose for each of said organs;

a maximum allowed dose difference between a dose applied to certain organs as compared to said maximum allowed dose; and

a comparison of a tumor of said patient with an average tumor size for said general population.

10. The treatment decision engine for use in adaptive radiation therapy from claim 1, wherein said decision is comprised of:

a determination of the necessity of a first alteration of the current course of treatment;

a determination of a required beam angle and beam geometry for said first alteration;

a determination of a required dose for said first alteration;

a determination of the necessity of a second alteration of the tumor motion management scheme;

a determination of the necessity of a third alteration in a patient position during administration of radiation; and

a determination of the necessity of an application of additional diagnostic procedures.

11. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, wherein said clinically relevant information comprises demographic information.

12. The treatment decision engine from claim 1, further comprising a patient related data output module that outputs metadata regarding a medical condition of said patient, and an effect of said adaptive radiation therapy regimen on said patient.

13. The treatment decision engine from claim 12, wherein said metadata is comprised of:

a group of diagnostic electronic images of the afflicted portions of said patient;

a group of images of the distribution of dose in a patient;

a measure of differences in organ volumes;

a measure of differences in organ center of mass position;

a measure of differences in tumor volumes;

a measure of differences in tumor center of mass position;

a measure of hotspot position

a time varying series of three dimensional images of the cumulative distribution of dose in a patient; and

a matrix of organ specific dose risk level.

14. The treatment decision engine from claim 12, wherein:

said metadata is selectively outputted to a data network; and

said patient population data storage module is updated through a connection to said data network.

15. The treatment decision engine from claim 12, wherein:

said metadata is selectively outputted to a data network; and

said decision criteria storage module is updated through a connection to said data network.

16. A computerized method for producing a treatment decision for adaptive radiation therapy, comprising the steps of:

inputting patient specific input data regarding a patient and general patient population data into a treatment decision engine;

adjusting a set of interrelationships and thresholds that apply to said patient specific input data and said general patient population data to fit a current adaptive radiation therapy regimen under analysis;

applying said interrelationships and thresholds to said patient specific input data and said general patient population data with a processing module to formulate a decision regarding said current adaptive radiation therapy regimen and metadata regarding a medical condition of said patient; and

outputting said decision and said metadata such that said decision and said metadata are accessible to a user.

17. The computerized method from claim 16, further comprising:

uploading said metadata to a data network; and

downloading an upgrade for said set of interrelationships and thresholds from said data network;

wherein said data network is constantly updated when said user implements said computerized method.

18. The computerized method from claim 16, further comprising:

uploading said metadata to a data network; and

downloading a portion of said general patient population data from said data network;

wherein said data network is constantly updated when said user implements said computerized method.

19. A system for providing a treatment decision for a patient undergoing adaptive radiation therapy, comprising:

a set of medical diagnostic tools measuring a first set of patient specific input data regarding a patient;

a user interface taking in said first set of patient specific input data and a second set of patient specific input data regarding said patient, and outputting a decision regarding an adaptive radiation therapy regimen for said patient and metadata regarding a medical condition of said patient; and

a treatment decision engine taking in said first set and said second set of patient specific input data, having a set of stored general patient population data, and applying said first, said second, and said general patient population data to a stored set of interrelationships and thresholds to produce said decision and said metadata;

wherein said general patient population data comprises clinically relevant information and demographic information for a general population of prior radiation therapy patients.

20. The system from claim 19, wherein said user interface allows a user to manipulate said stored set of interrelationships and thresholds to tailor said treatment decision engine for a subset of patients.

21. The system from claim 20, further comprising:

a data network uplink uploading said metadata to a data network;

a data network download connection downloading a set of updates from said data network;

wherein said updates include a set of additional general patient population data and a set of alterations for said interrelationships and thresholds; and

wherein said data network is constantly updated with said metadata when said treatment decision engine produces said metadata.