Particle beam therapy system and adjustment method for particle beam therapy system

• US 8,389,949 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Harada, Hisashi, Iwata, Takaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): LOGIE, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/864,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20110121195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 250/396.R, 250/398, 250/396.ML, 250/492.1, 250/492.3, 250/505.1
• US Class Current: 250/396.ML
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1087 Ions; Protons
• 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 5/1077 Beam delivery systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1078 Fixed beam systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 3/22 using electromagnetic means only
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 3/26 Arrangements for deflecting ray or beam

Abstract

The objective is to obtain a particle beam therapy system, the irradiation flexibility of which is high and that can reduce the amount of irradiation onto a normal tissue. There are provided a scanning electromagnet that performs scanning and outputting in such a way that a supplied charged particle beam is formed in a three-dimensional irradiation shape based on a treatment plan; and deflection electromagnets that switch the orbits for the charged particle beam in such a way that the charged particle beam with which scanning and outputting are performed by the scanning electromagnet reaches an isocenter through a single beam orbit selected from a plurality of beam orbits established between the isocenter and the scanning electromagnet. The distance between the scanning electromagnet and the isocenter is made long.

Claims

1. A particle beam therapy system, comprising:

a scanning electromagnet provided with two scanning electromagnets that perform control to scan a supplied charged particle beam in respective different directions so that the charged particle beam is formed in a three-dimensional irradiation shape based on a treatment plan; and

a deflection electromagnet that switches orbits for a charged particle beam in such a way that the charged particle beam with which scanning is performed by the scanning electromagnet heads for an isocenter through a single beam orbit selected from a plurality of beam orbits for multi-port irradiation established between the isocenter and the scanning electromagnet,

wherein the deflection electromagnet includes a first deflection electromagnet that is provided at the downstream side of the scanning electromagnet and deflects a charged particle beam with which scanning has been performed by the scanning electromagnet, in accordance with the selected orbit; and

a second deflection electromagnet that is provided at the downstream side of the first deflection electromagnet and deflects to the isocenter a charged particle beam that has been deflected by the first deflection electromagnet.

2. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 1, wherein the first deflection electromagnet is a beam switching electromagnet.

3. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 1, wherein the second deflection electromagnet includes respective deflection electromagnets provided for the plurality of beam orbits.

4. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 3, further including, between the first deflection electromagnet and the isocenter C, a beam transport duct for each of the plurality of beam orbits.

5. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 1, wherein the second deflection electromagnet is a deflection electromagnet that moves in accordance with a selected beam orbit.

6. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 5, further including, between the first deflection electromagnet and the isocenter C, a beam transport duct that moves or that is deformed while moving in accordance with the selected beam orbit.

7. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 1, further including an irradiation control unit that converts irradiation position coordinates for forming the three-dimensional irradiation shape, by use of a function set in accordance with the selected beam orbit, and controls the energy of the scanning electromagnet and the charged particle beam by utilizing control values obtained through the conversion.

8. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 7, wherein, as the function set in accordance with the beam orbit, there is utilized an inverse-map mathematical expression model for performing conversion to irradiation control values from irradiation position coordinates obtained based on irradiation control values including two-dimensional control values for the scanning electromagnet and a control value for the energy of the charged particle beam and on measurement values of actual irradiation position coordinates, at the isocenter, of the charged particle beam controlled by use of the irradiation control values.

9. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 8, further including an inverse map calculation unit that performs a step of reading a plurality of irradiation control values that are different from one another;

a step of measuring the actual irradiation position coordinates, at the isocenter, of a charged particle beam that has been actually irradiated in accordance with the read irradiation control values; and

a step of setting unknown parameters in the inverse-map mathematical expression model, based on a combination of a plurality of measurement results for the measured actual irradiation position coordinates and the plurality of irradiation control values.

10. An adjustment method for a particle beam therapy system, comprising:

setting, by an irradiation control unit of the particle beam therapy system, a beam orbit and providing a beam measurement unit that measures the irradiation position coordinates of a charged particle beam irradiated from the particle beam therapy system in accordance with the set beam orbit;

reading, by the irradiation control unit, a plurality of irradiation control values that are different from one another;

irradiating, by the irradiation control unit, a charged particle beam onto the beam measurement unit in accordance with the read irradiation control values and measuring the irradiation position coordinates of the charged particle beam; and

setting, by the irradiation control unit, unknown parameters in an inverse-map mathematical expression model, based on a combination of a plurality of measurement results for the measured irradiation position coordinates and the plurality of irradiation control values.