Particle beam irradiation apparatus, treatment planning unit, and particle beam irradiation method

• US 7,227,161 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakayama, Takahide, Matsuda, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanore; David A.
• Application Number:
  US11/236,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20060022153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 250/492.3
• US Class Current: 250/492.3
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/10 X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy A61N5/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1042 with spatial modulation of the radiation beam within the treatment head
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1043 Scanning the radiation beam, e.g. spot scanning or raster scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1044 with multiple repetitions of the scanning pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/08 Deviation, concentration or focusing of the beam by electric or magnetic means electron-optical arrangements in electric discharge tubes H01J29/46; details, e.g. electric or magnetic deviating means for direct voltage accelerators or in accelerators using single pulses H05H5/02; arrangements for injecting particles into orbits H05H7/08; arrangements for ejecting particles from orbits H05H7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/04 with beam-forming means
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 7/04 Magnet systems , e.g. undulators, wigglers free-electron laser H01S3/0903; Energisation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 7/10 Arrangements for ejecting particles from orbits

Abstract

A particle beam irradiation apparatus includes a synchrotron, two scanning electromagnets, an beam delivery apparatus for outputting an ion beam extracted from the synchrotron, and an accelerator and transport system controller, and a scanning controller. These controllers stop the output of the ion beam from the beam delivery apparatus; in a state where the output of the ion beam is stopped, change the irradiation position of the ion beam by controlling the scanning electromagnets; and after this change, control the scanning electromagnets to start the output of the ion beam from the beam delivery apparatus and to perform irradiations of the ion beam to at least one irradiation position a plurality of times based on treatment planning information.

Claims

1. A particle beam emitting apparatus comprising:

an accelerator for extracting a charged particle beam;

a beam delivery apparatus having a charged particle beam scanning unit and irradiating the charged particle beam extracted from the acceleration;

an irradiation dose detector that detects the irradiation dose of the charged particle beam applied to an irradiation position in a target; and

a controller that controls the irradiation of the charged particle beam to the irradiation position so that the irradiation dose applied to the irradiation position becomes a set irradiation dose, in a state where the irradiation dose applied to the irradiation position during the time period from the outputting of a beam extraction stop signal at the time when the irradiation dose detected by the irradiation dose detector reaches the set irradiation dose up to the extraction stop of the charged particle beam from the accelerator, is added.

2. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller stops the irradiation of a charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus, and wherein, in a state where the irradiation of the charged particle beam is stopped, the controller controls the charged particle beam scanning unit to change the irradiation position, and to start the irradiation of the charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus after said change.

3. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller controls the charged particle beam scanning unit to perform irradiations of the charged particle beam with respect to at least one said irradiation position a plurality of times based on treatment planning information.

4. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller outputs a beam extraction stop signal to thereby perform control to stop the extraction of the charged particle beam from the accelerator.

5. A particle beam emitting apparatus comprising:

an accelerator for extracting a charged particle beam;

a beam delivery apparatus having a charged particle beam scanning unit and irradiating the charged particle beam extracted from the acceleration;

an irradiation dose detector that detects an irradiation dose of the charged particle beam applied to the irradiation position in a target; and

a controller that controls the irradiation of the charged particle beam to the irradiation position so that the irradiation dose obtained by adding the irradiation dose applied to the irradiation position by the charged particle beam extracted again from the accelerator, to the irradiation dose applied to the irradiation position of the charged particle beam during the time period from the outputting of a beam extraction stop signal at the time when the irradiation dose detected by the irradiation dose detector reaches a set irradiation dose up to the extraction stop of the charged particle beam from the accelerator, becomes the set irradiation dose.

6. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller stops the irradiation of a charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus, and wherein, in a state where the irradiation of the charged particle beam is stopped, the controller controls the charged particle beam scanning unit to change the irradiation position, and to start the irradiation of the charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus after said change.

7. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller controls the charged particle beam scanning unit to perform irradiations of the charged particle beam with respect to at least one said irradiation position a plurality of times based on treatment planning information.

8. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller outputs a beam extraction stop signal to thereby perform control to stop the extraction of the charged particle beam from the accelerator.

9. A particle beam emitting apparatus comprising:

an accelerator for extracting a charged particle beam;

a beam delivery apparatus having a charged particle beam scanning unit and irradiating the charged particle beam extracted from the acceleration;

an irradiation dose detector that detects the charged particle beam applied to an irradiation position in a target and that outputs a pulse signal; and

a controller that counts pulses of a pulse signal outputted from the irradiation dose detector due to the charged particle beam applied to the irradiation position, that stores the count number of the pulses, that clears the count number when the count number reaches a set count number, and that controls the irradiation of the charged particle beam to another irradiation position situated next to said irradiation position so that the count number with respect to said other irradiation position become a set count number, in a state where the count number of the pulses of the pulse signal generating due to the charged particle beam applied to the irradiation position during the time period from the time when the count number reaches the set count number up to the time when the extraction stop of the charged particle beam from the accelerator, is added.

10. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller stops the irradiation of a charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus, and wherein, in a state where the irradiation of the charged particle beam is stopped, the controller controls the charged particle beam scanning unit to change the irradiation position and to start the irradiation of the charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus after said change.

11. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls the charged particle beam scanning unit to perform irradiations of the charged particle beam with respect to at least one said irradiation position a plurality of times based on treatment planning information.

12. The particle beam emitting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller outputs a beam extraction stop signal to thereby perform control to stop the extraction of the charged particle beam from the accelerator.

13. A method for irradiating a charged particle beam extracted by an accelerator from a beam delivery apparatus having a charged particle beam scanning unit, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the irradiation dose of the charged particle beam applied to the irradiation position in a target; and

irradiating the charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus to the irradiation position until the irradiation dose at the irradiation position becomes a set irradiation dose, in a state where the irradiation dose applied to the irradiation position during the time period from the outputting of a beam extraction stop signal at the time when the detected irradiation dose reaches the set irradiation dose up to the extraction stop of the charged particle beam from the accelerator, is added.

14. A method for irradiating a charged particle beam extracted by an accelerator from a beam delivery apparatus having a charged particle beam scanning unit, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting the irradiation dose of the charged particle beam applied to the irradiation position in a target; and

irradiating the charged particle beam from the beam delivery apparatus to the irradiation position until the irradiation dose obtained by adding the irradiation dose applied to the irradiation position by the charged particle beam extracted again from the accelerator, to the irradiation dose applied to the irradiation position of the charged particle beam during the time period from the outputting of a beam extraction stop signal at the time when the detected irradiation dose reaches a set irradiation dose up to the extraction stop of the charged particle beam from the accelerator, becomes the set irradiation dose.