Multi-axis/multi-field charged particle cancer therapy method and apparatus

• US 8,614,429 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2010
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Andrey Vladimirovich Balakin, Pavel Vladimirovich Balakin
• Original Assignee: Vladimir Balakin
• Inventors: Balakin, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): MASKELL, MICHAEL P
• Application Number:
  US12/714,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20100155621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,395 Days
• Field of Search: 2504921-4923, 313/26, 313/62, 315/503, 315/504
• US Class Current: 250/492.1
• 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: H05H 13/04 Synchrotrons
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 7/10 Arrangements for ejecting particles from orbits

Abstract

The invention relates to method and apparatus for treatment of solid cancer. More particularly, the invention comprises a multi-axis and/or multi-field charged particle cancer therapy system. The system independently controls patient translation position, patient rotation position, two-dimensional beam trajectory, delivered beam energy, delivered beam intensity, timing of charged particle delivery, and/or distribution of radiation striking healthy tissue. The system operates in conjunction with a negative ion beam source, synchrotron, patient positioning, imaging, and/or targeting method and apparatus to deliver an effective and uniform dose of radiation to a tumor while distributing radiation striking healthy tissue.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling charged particles, comprising:

a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system; and

at least three separate foils axially crossing said charged particle beam path, a first of said three foils housed in a tandem accelerator of said injector, a second of said three foils proximate a ring accelerator path of said synchrotron, and a third of said three foils positioned in said beam transport system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, said charged particle beam path configured to axially circumferentially enclose at least a portion of movement of the charged particles.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said injector comprises:

a negative ion source;

a magnetic field containment system within said negative ion source, wherein said charged particle beam path initiates at said negative ion source; and

an ion beam focusing system, wherein said ion beam focusing system comprises at least one conductive surface running axially across said charged particle beam path.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a beam energy controller, said beam energy controller configured to dynamically change energy of the charged particles, said beam energy controller controlling an integrated accelerator system in said synchrotron, said accelerator system comprising:

a set of at least ten coils;

a set of at least ten wire loops; and

a set of at least ten microcircuits, each of said microcircuits integrated to one of said loops, wherein each of said loops completes at least one turn about at least one of said coils.

4. An apparatus for controlling charged particles, comprising:

a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector, said injector further comprising;

an input foil, wherein said input foil comprises a portion of a vacuum seal between a portion of said injector and said synchrotron, wherein said charged particle beam path traverses said input foil, said input foil configured to alter sign of the charged particles from negative to positive;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system.

6. An apparatus for controlling charged particles, comprising:

a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil, wherein said synchrotron further comprises;

a beam intensity controller, said beam intensity controller electrically connected to said extraction foil, said extraction foil consisting essentially of atoms having six or fewer protons per atom; and

a beam transport system.

7. An apparatus for controlling charged particles, comprising:

a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system;

an output foil, wherein said output foil comprises a vacuum barrier between atmosphere and a portion of said charged particle beam path within said synchrotron; and

a coating substantially covering at least a portion of said output foil, said coating configured to emit photons when struck by the charged particles in said charged particle beam path, wherein said extraction foil comprises a thickness of less than about one hundred micrometers.

8. An apparatus for controlling charged particles, comprising:

a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil, said synchrotron comprising;

exactly four turning sections, each of said four turning sections comprising at least four non-quadrupole magnets, wherein said charged particle beam path traverses a gap in said non-quadrupole magnets, said gap comprising a cross-sectional distance of less than about two centimeters in at least one direction; and

a beam transport system.

9. An apparatus for controlling charged particles, comprising:

a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil, wherein said synchrotron comprises;

at least four turning sections;

bending magnets; and

focusing geometry, wherein each of said four turning sections comprises at least four of said bending magnets, wherein each of said bending magnets comprises said focusing geometry, wherein said focusing geometry narrows a metal section of said bending magnet from a first magnet cross-section to a second magnet cross-section, wherein said first magnet cross-section lies in a parallel plane to said second magnet cross-section, wherein said second magnet cross-section comprises a surface of a gap, wherein said gap comprises a surface of said charged particle beam path; and

a beam transport system.

10. A method for controlling movement of charged particles, comprising the steps of:

controlling movement of the charged particles through a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system;

rotating a rotatable platform to at least four rotation positions during treatment of a tumor in less than ten minutes, said rotatable platform configured to hold a patient in a position located after at least a portion of said beam transport system; and

a charged particle beam energy controller varying energy of the charged particles by at least ten percent for each of said four rotation positions.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising sequential steps of:

generating the charged particles in said injector;

injecting the charged particles into said synchrotron;

accelerating the charged particles in said synchrotron yielding accelerated charged particles;

inducing oscillation of the accelerated charged particles yielding oscillating charged particles;

extracting the oscillating charged particles from said synchrotron using said extraction foil yielding reduced energy charged particles; and

controlling horizontal and vertical position of the reduced energy charged particles in said beam transport system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

producing negative ions in a negative ion beam with a negative ion source in said injector;

focusing the negative ions using first electric field lines in an ion beam focusing lens; and

converting the negative ions into the charged particles with a converting foil.

11. A method for controlling movement of charged particles, comprising the steps of:

controlling movement of the charged particles through a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system; and

controlling energy of the charged particles by timing extraction of the charged particles through said extraction foil using a radio-frequency field across a first pair of blades circumferentially enclosing a portion of said charged particle beam path, wherein charged particles traversing said extraction foil result in reduced energy charged particles.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

said charged particles traversing said extraction foil generating a feedback signal; and

an intensity controller using said feedback signal in controlling intensity of the reduced energy charged particles, said intensity controller controlling an electric field of at least five hundred volts applied across a second pair of blades spanning a portion of said charged particle beam path in said synchrotron,

wherein said electric field applied across said second pair of blades redirects the reduced energy charged particles out of said synchrotron.

13. A method for controlling movement of charged particles, comprising the steps of:

controlling movement of the charged particles through a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system;

rotating a rotatable platform though at least one hundred eighty degrees in less than five minutes while holding a patient positioned in a portion of said charged particle beam path in said beam transport system; and

a charged particle beam intensity controller increasing intensity of the charged particles when delivery efficiency of the charged particles to the tumor increases and decreasing intensity of the charged particles when delivery efficiency of the charged particles to the tumor decreases.

14. A method for controlling movement of charged particles, comprising the steps of:

controlling movement of the charged particles through a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system;

rotating a rotatable platform under a terminal end of said charged particle beam path, wherein said rotatable platform rotates around an axis aligned with gravity during use; and

controlling the charged particles exiting said synchrotron in terms of all of;

timing, a variable extraction energy, a variable extraction intensity, a variable beam position velocity, horizontal position, and vertical position.

17. A method for controlling movement of charged particles, comprising the steps of:

controlling movement of the charged particles through a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system; and

accelerating the charged particles within said charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path forming a circulation beam path loop of less than sixty meters in said synchrotron, said synchrotron further comprising;

straight sections; and

turning sections, wherein each of said turning sections comprises a plurality of bending magnets, wherein a number of said straight sections equals a number of said turning sections;

the method further comprising sequential steps of;

generating the charged particles in said injector;

injecting the charged particles into said synchrotron;

accelerating the charged particles in said synchrotron yielding accelerated charged particles;

inducing oscillation of the accelerated charged particles yielding oscillating charged particles;

extracting the oscillating charged particles from said synchrotron using said extraction foil yielding reduced energy charged particles; and

controlling horizontal and vertical position of the reduced energy charged particles in said beam transport system.

18. A method for controlling movement of charged particles, comprising the steps of:

controlling movement of the charged particles through a charged particle beam path, said charged particle beam path sequentially traversing;

an injector;

a synchrotron comprising an extraction foil; and

a beam transport system;

applying a radio-frequency field across a pair of oscillation inducing blades spanning said charged particle beam path, said pair of oscillation blades comprising a first distance from a center of said synchrotron;

traversing the charged particles between said pair of oscillation inducing blades, said radio-frequency resulting in the charged particles circulating in an altered circulating path; and

passing the charged particles circulating in said altered circulating path between a pair of extraction blades and deflecting the resulting charged particles out of said synchrotron using a deflector, said extraction blades spanning said charged particle beam path, said pair of extraction blades comprising a second distance from said center of said synchrotron, said first distance greater than said second distance.