Methods and apparatus for the planning and delivery of radiation treatments

• US 9,687,678 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers International AG
• Original Assignee: Varian Medical Systems International AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Otto, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, Christine H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANNU, JOSHUA DARYL DEANON
• Application Number:
  US15/266,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20170001038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 285 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/101 Computer-aided simulation of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0036 including treatment, e.g., using an implantable medical device, ablating, ventilating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1032 Genetic optimization methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1034 Monte Carlo type methods; particle tracking
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1035 Simulated annealing
• 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 5/1036 Leaf sequencing algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1037 taking into account the movement of the target, e.g. 4D-image based planning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1039 using functional images, e.g. PET or MRI
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/107 in real time, i.e. during treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1077 Beam delivery systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1082 having multiple beam rotation axes

Abstract

Systems for planning delivery of radiation dose to a target region within a subject comprise a processor configured to: initialize a first plurality of control points located on a trajectory, the trajectory comprising relative movement between a radiation source and the subject, wherein initializing the first plurality of control points comprises assigning, to each the first plurality of control points, one or more axis positions which specify a position of the radiation source relative to the subject; specify a second plurality of control points along the trajectory, the second plurality of control points comprising a larger number of control points than the first plurality of control points; and iteratively optimize a simulated dose distribution over the second plurality of control points to thereby determine a radiation delivery plan by assigning each of the second plurality of control points optimized values for one or more radiation delivery parameters.

Claims

1. A system for planning delivery of a radiation dose to a target region within a subject, the system comprising a processor, the processor configured to:

initialize a first plurality of control points located on a trajectory, the trajectory comprising relative movement between a treatment radiation source and the subject, wherein initializing the first plurality of control points comprises assigning, to each of the first plurality of control points, one or more axis positions which specify a position of the treatment radiation source relative to the subject;

specify a second plurality of control points along the trajectory, the second plurality of control points comprising a larger number of control points than the first plurality of control points; and

iteratively optimize a simulated dose distribution relative to a set of one or more optimization goals over the second plurality of control points to thereby determine a radiation delivery plan by assigning each of the second plurality of control points optimized values for a plurality of radiation delivery parameters;

wherein the one or more axis positions comprise an angle of a gantry supporting the treatment radiation source;

wherein the optimized values for the plurality of radiation delivery parameters specify both, beam shape of the treatment radiation source and beam intensity of the treatment radiation source;

wherein the optimized values for the plurality of radiation delivery parameters specify radiation output rates for the treatment radiation source;

wherein the optimized values for the plurality of radiation delivery parameters specify leaf configurations for a multi-leaf collimator through which a beam of the treatment radiation source is directed;

wherein the trajectory comprises a plurality of arcs, each arc involving relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject within a corresponding plane;

wherein, between successive ones of the plurality of arcs, the trajectory comprises inter-arc relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject, the inter-arc relative movement comprising movement such that the corresponding planes associated with each arc intersect one another.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the second plurality of control points comprises at least one control point in the first plurality of control points.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to iteratively optimize a first simulated dose distribution over the first plurality of control points to thereby determine a first optimized simulated dose distribution.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the first optimized simulated dose distribution is used as an input to the optimization over the second plurality of control points.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the subject is a living subject.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein the trajectory comprises non-self overlapping relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein a start of the trajectory and an end of the trajectory comprise a same relative position between the treatment radiation source and the subject and wherein the trajectory comprises otherwise non-self overlapping movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein initializing the first plurality of control points comprises assigning values to the control points, wherein the values specify radiation to be delivered in relation to the first plurality of control points.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein the values assigned to the control points which specify radiation to be delivered comprise beam shapes and intensities.

10. A system according to claim 8 wherein the values assigned to the control points which specify radiation to be delivered comprise beam shapes and intensities.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to provide the radiation delivery plan to a radiation delivery apparatus.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the radiation delivery apparatus is configured to deliver radiation to the subject in accordance with the radiation delivery plan.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein the subject is a human subject.

14. A system for planning delivery of a radiation dose to a target region within a subject, the system comprising a processor, the processor configured to:

initialize a first plurality of control points located on a trajectory, the trajectory comprising relative movement between a treatment radiation source and the subject, wherein initializing the first plurality of control points comprises assigning, to each of the first plurality of control points, one or more axis positions which specify a position of the treatment radiation source relative to the subject;

specify a second plurality of control points along the trajectory, the second plurality of control points comprising a larger number of control points than the first-plurality of control points; and

iteratively optimize a simulated dose distribution relative to a set of one or more optimization goals over the second plurality of control points to thereby determine a radiation delivery plan by assigning each of the second plurality of control points optimized values for a plurality of radiation delivery parameters;

wherein the one or more axis positions comprise an angle of a gantry supporting the treatment radiation source;

wherein the optimized values for the plurality of radiation delivery parameters specify both beam shape of the treatment radiation source and beam intensity of the treatment radiation source;

wherein the optimized values for the plurality of radiation delivery parameters specify radiation output rates for the treatment radiation source;

wherein the optimized values for the plurality of radiation delivery parameters specify leaf configurations for a multi-leaf collimator through which a beam of the treatment radiation source is directed;

wherein the trajectory comprises a plurality of arcs, each arc involving relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject within a corresponding plane;

wherein, between successive ones of the plurality of arcs, the trajectory comprises inter-arc relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject, the inter-arc relative movement comprising movement such that the corresponding planes associated with each arc are parallel with one another.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein the second plurality of control points comprises at least one control point in the first plurality of control points.

16. A system according to claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to provide the radiation delivery plan to a radiation delivery apparatus.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein the radiation delivery apparatus is configured to deliver radiation to the subject in accordance with the radiation delivery plan.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein the subject is a human subject.

19. A system according to claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to iteratively optimize a first simulated dose distribution over the first plurality of control points to thereby determine a first optimized simulated dose distribution.

20. A system according to claim 19 wherein the first optimized simulated dose distribution is used as an input to the optimization over the second plurality of control points.

21. A system according to claim 14 wherein the subject is a living subject.

22. A system according to claim 14 wherein the trajectory comprises non-self overlapping relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject.

23. A system according to claim 14 wherein initializing the first plurality of control points comprises assigning values to the control points, wherein the values specify radiation to be delivered in relation to the first plurality of control points.