METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATED PLANNING OF RADIATION THERAPY

• US 20130289332A1
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University Health Network
• Original Assignee: University Health Network
• Inventors: Purdie, Thomas G., Sharpe, Michael B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,421,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1041 using a library of previously administered radiation treatment applied to other patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1074 Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/103 Treatment planning systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1039 using functional images, e.g. PET or MRI
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1045 using a multi-leaf collimator, e.g. for intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT

Abstract

Methods and systems for automated treatment planning for radiation therapy are disclosed. Such methods and systems may be useful for treatment planning for intensity-modulate radiotherapy (IMRT). Also provided are user interfaces for automated radiation therapy treatment planning.

Claims

1. A system for automated planning of radiation therapy treatment, the system comprising at least one processor coupled to at least one memory having computer-readable instructions encoded thereon, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions for:

determining at least one region of interest for the radiation therapy treatment;

determining at least one clinical requirement to be met for the radiation therapy treatment, the at least one clinical requirement being relevant to the at least one region of interest;

calculating at least one technical parameter to satisfy the at least one clinical requirement using a predefined empirical relationship; and

generating a treatment plan comprising a set of technical parameters, including the at least one calculated technical parameter, for the radiation therapy treatment.

2. The system of claim 22 wherein the determined optimization parameter comprises an empirical value obtained from a lookup table.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the lookup table contains empirical values determined from a plurality of previously used treatment plans.

4. The system of claim 22 wherein the optimization parameter is one of:

a segment number, a segment area, a maximum lung distance value, and an average lung distance value.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one region of interest is determined using an imaging modality selected from:

magnetic resonance (MR), computer tomography (CT), cone-beam CT (CBCT), and positron emission tomography (PET).

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one technical treatment parameter comprises at least one of:

a gantry angle, a collimator angle, a collimator jaw setting, a treatment beam isocenter, and a treatment beam strength.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a display coupled to the processor for displaying a user interface, and an input device coupled to the processor for inputting the user-specified clinical requirement using the user interface.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the user interface provides at least one predefined default setting.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the radiation therapy is for treatment of breast tissue.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one clinical requirement is one of:

specification of allowable non-target tissue in treatment field;

specification of margin of coverage of target tissue;

prioritization of coverage of target tissue;

prioritization of avoidance of non-target tissue; and

restriction of adjustments for one or more technical parameters.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the calculating of the at least one technical parameter comprises using at least one optimization parameter determined from the predefined empirical relationship.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the determining of the at least one region of interest comprises identifying a position of at least one marker, and based at least partly on the identified marker position delineating a target volume for treatment, the region of interest comprising the delineated target volume.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the calculating of the at least one technical parameter is based at least partly on the identified position of the at least one marker.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the determining of the at least one region of interest comprises identifying a position of at least one marker, and based at least partly on the identified marker position delineating a target volume for treatment, the region of interest comprising the delineated target volume; and

the processor is configured to execute the instructions for;

calculating a generated treatment field based at least partly on the calculated at least one technical parameter;

identifying a subset volume of the delineated target volume within the calculated generated treatment field; and

repeatedly re-calculating the at least one technical parameter, and correspondingly re-calculating the generated treatment field and re-identifying the subset volume based at least partly on the respectively re-calculated at least one technical parameter until the subset volume is optimized at least partly in accordance with at least one optimization parameter determined from the empirical relationship.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the at least one optimization parameter comprises minimization of the subset volume.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the subset volume is optimized at least partly in accordance with at least one technical parameter limitation.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the at least one marker comprises at least one of an anatomical feature, a radio-opaque marker, and a fluorescent marker.

11. A method for automated planning of radiation therapy treatment, the method comprising, at a processor:

determining at least one region of interest for the radiation therapy treatment;

determining at least one clinical requirement to be met for the radiation therapy treatment, the at least one clinical requirement being applied to the at least one region of interest;

calculating at least one technical parameter to satisfy the at least one clinical requirement a predefined empirical relationship; and

generating a treatment plan comprising a set of technical parameters, including the at least one calculated technical parameter, for the radiation therapy treatment.

12. The method of claim 29 wherein the determined optimization parameter comprises an empirical value obtained from a lookup table.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the lookup table contains empirical values determined from a plurality of previously used treatment plans.

14. The method of claim 29 wherein the optimization parameter is one of:

a segment number, a segment area, a maximum lung distance value, and an average lung distance value.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one region of interest is determined using an imaging modality selected from:

magnetic resonance (MR), computer tomography (CT), cone-beam CT (CBCT), and positron emission tomography (PET).

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one technical treatment parameter comprises at least one of:

a gantry angle, a collimator angle, a collimator jaw setting, a treatment beam isocenter, and a treatment beam strength.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying a user interface for inputting the user-specified clinical requirement.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the user interface provides at least one predefined default setting.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the radiation therapy is for treatment of breast tissue.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one clinical requirement is one of:

specification of allowable non-target tissue in treatment field;

specification of margin of coverage of target tissue;

prioritization of coverage of target tissue;

prioritization of avoidance of non-target tissue; and

restriction of adjustments for one or more technical parameters.

21. A non-transitory computer program product tangibly embodying code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to carry out the method of claim 11.

29. The method of claim 11, wherein the calculating of the at least one technical parameter comprises using at least one optimization parameter determined from the predefined empirical relationship.

30. The method of claim 11 wherein the determining of the at least one region of interest comprises identifying a position of at least one marker, and based at least partly on the identified marker position delineating a target volume for treatment, the region of interest comprising the delineated target volume.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the calculating of the at least one technical parameter is based at least partly on the identified position of the at least one marker.

32. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the determining of the at least one region of interest comprises identifying a position of at least one marker, and based at least partly on the identified marker position delineating a target volume for treatment, the region of interest comprising the delineated target volume; and

the processor is configured to execute the instructions for;

calculating a generated treatment field based at least partly on the calculated at least one technical parameter;

identifying a subset volume of the delineated target volume within the calculated generated treatment field; and

repeatedly re-calculating the at least one technical parameter, and correspondingly re-calculating the generated treatment field and re-identifying the subset volume based at least partly on the respectively re-calculated at least one technical parameter until the subset volume is optimized at least partly in accordance with at least one optimization parameter determined from the empirical relationship.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the at least one optimization parameter comprises minimization of the subset volume.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the subset volume is optimized at least partly in accordance with at least one technical parameter limitation.

35. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one marker comprises at least one of an anatomical feature, a radio-opaque marker, and a fluorescent marker.