Charged particle cancer therapy beam path control method and apparatus

• US 8,710,462 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• 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:
  US12/785,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20100266100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,438 Days
• Field of Search: 250/396.R, 250/492.1, 250/492.3, 313/26, 313/62
• 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 comprises a charged particle beam path coupling an injector, synchrotron accelerator, beam transport system, targeting system, and/or patient interface method and apparatus. Preferably, the injector comprises: a negative ion beam source, a two phase ion source vacuum system, an ion beam focusing lens, and/or a tandem accelerator. Preferably, the synchrotron comprises turning magnets, edge focusing magnets, magnetic field concentration magnets, winding and correction coils, flat magnetic field incident surfaces, and/or extraction elements. Preferably, the synchrotron, beam transport system, targeting system, and patient interface combine to allow multi-axis/multi-field irradiation, where multi-axis control comprises control of horizontal and vertical beam position, beam energy, and/or beam intensity and multi-field control comprises control of patient rotation and distribution of delivered energy in and about the tumor in a time controlled, targeted, accurate, precise, dosage controlled, and/or efficient manner.

Claims

1. An apparatus for radiation therapy of a tumor of a patient with charged particles from a charged particle cancer therapy system, comprising:

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

an injector, said injector further comprising;

an ion beam generation source; and

a magnetic material centrally positioned within said ion beam generation source, said magnetic material creating a magnetic field barrier between a high temperature plasma zone within said ion beam generation source and a low temperature plasma region,

wherein a portion of said charged particle beam path circumferentially surrounds (1) negative ions formed in said low temperature plasma region and (2) a negative ion beam resulting from extraction of the negative ions from the low temperature plasma region;

a synchrotron; and

a beam transport system, wherein said synchrotron comprises an extraction foil.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the charged particles run through said charged particle beam path during operation of said charged particle cancer therapy system.

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

a center;

a pair of oscillation inducing blades spanning said charged particle beam path, said pair of oscillation blades comprising a first distance from said center of said synchrotron;

a pair of 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; and

a deflector about said charged particle beam path.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a statically positioned X-ray generation source, said X-ray generation source located within about forty millimeters of said charged particle beam path.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said synchrotron further comprises:

exactly four turning sections, wherein each of said turning sections bends said charged particle beam path about ninety degrees.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said synchrotron further comprises:

four turning sections; and

bending magnets, wherein each of said four turning sections comprises at least four of said bending magnets, wherein said charged particle beam path runs through each of said four turning sections.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said synchrotron comprises an equal number of turning sections and straight sections.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first foil;

a second foil; and

a third foil, wherein each of said first foil, said second foil, and said third foil axially crosses said charged particle beam path.

8. An apparatus for radiation therapy of a tumor of a patient with charged particles from a charged particle cancer therapy system, comprising:

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

an injector,

a synchrotron; and

a beam transport system, wherein said synchrotron comprises an extraction foil,

wherein said charged particle beam path connects to;

a carbon input foil in said injector;

an aluminum output foil positioned (1) after said synchrotron and (2) across said charged particle beam, wherein said output foil has a first side; and

a beam position verification layer substantially in contact with said first side of said output foil, wherein said verification layer comprises photon emitting centers.

10. A method for radiation therapy of a tumor of a patient with treatment particles from a charged particle cancer therapy system, comprising sequential steps of:

generating the treatment particles in an injector;

passing the treatment particles through an input foil in said injector;

maintaining a first vacuum in said charged particle beam path on a first side of said input foil;

maintaining a second vacuum within said charged particle beam path on a second side of said input foil, wherein a first pressure of said first vacuum does not equal a second pressure of said second vacuum; and

injecting the treatment particles into a synchrotron, wherein circulation of the treatment particles in said synchrotron yields the circulating charged particles;

accelerating circulating 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 an extraction foil yielding reduced energy charged particles; and

transporting the reduced energy charged particles to the tumor, wherein a charged particle beam path initiates in an injector, wherein said charged particle beam path circumferentially surrounds the charged particles in said synchrotron,

wherein at least a portion of said charged particle beam path circumferentially surrounds at least a portion of all of;

(1) the charged particles;

(2) the accelerated charged particles;

(3) the oscillating charged particles; and

(4) the reduced energy charged particles.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

extracting the reduced energy charged particles from said synchrotron; and

controlling an intensity of the reduced energy charged particles,

wherein said step of controlling said intensity occurs prior to the charged particles passing through a Lamberson extraction magnet in said synchrotron.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

rotating a rotatable platform to at least five irradiation positions covering at least ninety degrees of rotation; and

irradiating the tumor with the reduced energy charged particles during each of said at least five irradiation positions, said rotatable platform configured to rotate the tumor.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

generating an ion beam in an ion beam generation source of said injector;

creating a magnetic field barrier between a high temperature plasma zone within said ion beam generation source and a low temperature plasma region using a magnetic material centrally positioned within said ion beam generation source, wherein said charged particle beam path initiates with negative ions formed in said low temperature plasma region; and

extracting the negative ions from said low temperature plasma region forming a negative ion beam,

wherein a length of said charged particle beam path circumferentially surrounds said negative ion beam.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

forming a vacuum barrier with an output foil between atmosphere and a first portion of said charged particle beam path within said synchrotron,

wherein said output foil comprises a first surface,

wherein a coating substantially covers at least a portion of said first surface of said output foil, said coating configured to emit photons when struck by the reduced energy charged particles, and

wherein said extraction foil comprises a thickness of less than about one hundred micrometers.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said extraction foil consists essentially of atoms having six or fewer protons per atom.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

generating X-rays with a statically positioned X-ray generation source, said X-ray generation source located within about forty millimeters of said charged particle beam path.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

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

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

timing, extraction energy, and extraction intensity.

11. A method for radiation therapy of a tumor of a patient with treatment particles from a charged particle cancer therapy system, comprising four sequential steps of:

accelerating circulating charged particles in a 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 an extraction foil yielding reduced energy charged particles; and

transporting the reduced energy charged particles to the tumor, wherein a charged particle beam path initiates in an injector, wherein said charged particle beam path circumferentially surrounds the charged particles in said synchrotron,

wherein at least a portion of said charged particle beam path circumferentially surrounds at least a portion of all of;

(1) the charged particles;

(2) the accelerated charged particles;

(3) the oscillating charged particles; and

(4) the reduced energy charged particles; and

further comprising the step of;

generating X-rays with an X-ray generation source located within about forty millimeters of said charged particle beam path, wherein said X-ray source maintains a single static position;

(1) during use of said X-ray source and (2) during tumor treatment with the charged particle beam,

wherein, for a distance, the X-rays emitted from said X-ray source run substantially in parallel with the charged particles.