APPARATUS AND METHOD USING AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF A BASE DOSE

• US 20170087382A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers International AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Varian Medical Systems International AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Nord, Janne I., Kauppinen, Juha
• Granted Patent: US 10,252,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1041 using a library of previously administered radiation treatment applied to other patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/10 X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy A61N5/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/103 Treatment planning systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1031 using a specific method of dose optimization
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1038 taking into account previously administered plans applied to the same patient, i.e. adaptive radiotherapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1042 with spatial modulation of the radiation beam within the treatment head
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1045 using a multi-leaf collimator, e.g. for intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1047 with movement of the radiation head during application of radiation, e.g. for intensity modulated arc therapy or IMAT

Abstract

A control circuit forms a radiation therapy treatment plan by automatically generating a base dose that references dosing information from multiple sources and then using that base dose to optimize a radiation therapy treatment plan. That radiation therapy treatment plan is then used to administer radiation therapy to a patient. That automatically generated base dose can represent any or all of earlier radiation therapy treatments for the patient, a same fraction as a dose presently being optimized per the radiation therapy treatment plan, and future planned fractions for the patient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forming a radiation therapy treatment plan using a control circuit by;

automatically generating a base dose that references dosing information from multiple sources;

using the base dose to optimize a radiation therapy treatment plan;

using the radiation therapy treatment plan to administer radiation therapy to a patient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the base dose represents at least two of:

earlier radiation therapy treatments for the patient;

a same fraction as a dose presently being optimized per the radiation therapy treatment plan;

future planned fractions for the patient.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically generating the base dose comprises, at least in part, generating the base dose as a function of a particular treatment model such that the base dose is suitable for present use in optimizing the radiation therapy treatment plan.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein using the base dose to optimize a radiation therapy treatment plan comprises, at least in part, using the base dose to limit an accumulation of radiation in a particular volume of the patient.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the multiple sources include at least one of:

treatment records for radiation therapy treatment previously delivered to the patient;

radiation therapy treatment plans for undelivered parallel treatment for the patient;

patient images;

patient deformation information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically generating a base dose that references multiple sources comprises, at least in part, individually weighting the dosing information from different sources.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein individually weighting the dosing information from different sources comprises individually weighting the dosing information as a function, at least in part, of at least one of:

relevancy of the source; and

accuracy of the source.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically generating a base dose that references multiple sources comprises, at least in part, producing a base dose and a corresponding indication of uncertainty.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically generating a base dose that references dosing information from multiple sources comprises using biological modeling to estimate a single dose distribution having a same biological effect as a combined effect of the multiple sources.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a control circuit configured to form a radiation therapy treatment plan by;

automatically generating a base dose that references dosing information from multiple sources;

using the base dose to optimize a radiation therapy treatment plan;

a radiation therapy treatment platform configured to use the radiation therapy treatment plan to administer the radiation therapy to a patient.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the base dose represents at least two of:

earlier radiation therapy treatments for the patient;

a same fraction as a dose presently being optimized per the radiation therapy treatment plan;

future planned fractions for the patient.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically generate the base dose by, at least in part, generating the base dose as a function of a particular treatment model such that the base dose is suitable for present use in optimizing the radiation therapy treatment plan.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is configured to use the base dose to optimize a radiation therapy treatment plan by, at least in part, using the base dose to limit an accumulation of radiation in a particular volume of the patient.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the multiple sources include at least one of:

treatment records for radiation therapy treatment previously delivered to the patient;

radiation therapy treatment plans for undelivered parallel treatment for the patient;

patient images;

patient deformation information.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically generate a base dose that references multiple sources by, at least in part, individually weighting the dosing information from different sources.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the control circuit is configured to individually weight the dosing information from different sources by individually weighting the dosing information as a function, at least in part, of at least one of:

relevancy of the source; and

accuracy of the source.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically generate a base dose that references multiple sources by, at least in part, producing a base dose and a corresponding indication of uncertainty.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically generate a base dose that references dosing information from multiple sources by using biological modeling to estimate a single dose distribution having a same biological effect as a combined effect of the multiple sources.