Radiation therapy systems and methods for delivering doses to a target volume
First Claim
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1. A radiation therapy system, comprising:
- an accelerator that accelerates particles in a beam;
a nozzle that receives the beam of particles downstream of the accelerator, the nozzle configured to affect energies of the particles in the beam to create a first adjusted beam that delivers a first dose with a first Spread Out Bragg Peak (SOBP) along a first target line segment in a target volume and to create a second adjusted beam that delivers a second dose with a second SOBP along a second target line segment in the target volume, wherein the second target line segment is displaced from the first target line segment; and
a focusing magnet along the path of the beam that adjusts the energies of the particles in the beam to vary sizes of spots where the beam intersects a layer of the target volume.
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Abstract
A radiation therapy system includes an accelerator and beam transport system that generates a beam of particles. The accelerator and beam transport system guides the beam on a path and into a nozzle that can aim the beam toward an object. The nozzle includes a beam energy adjuster that can adjust the beam by, for example, placing different thicknesses of material in the path of the beam to affect the energies of the particles in the beam to deliver a dose to the object with a Spread Out Bragg Peak.
61 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A radiation therapy system, comprising:
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an accelerator that accelerates particles in a beam; a nozzle that receives the beam of particles downstream of the accelerator, the nozzle configured to affect energies of the particles in the beam to create a first adjusted beam that delivers a first dose with a first Spread Out Bragg Peak (SOBP) along a first target line segment in a target volume and to create a second adjusted beam that delivers a second dose with a second SOBP along a second target line segment in the target volume, wherein the second target line segment is displaced from the first target line segment; and a focusing magnet along the path of the beam that adjusts the energies of the particles in the beam to vary sizes of spots where the beam intersects a layer of the target volume. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A radiation therapy method, comprising:
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receiving a beam of particles; steering the beam along a path using a plurality of magnets in a nozzle; and placing different thicknesses of material in the path of the beam in the nozzle to affect energies of particles in the beam and create an adjusted beam that delivers a dose with a Spread Out Bragg Peak along a target line segment in a target volume, wherein the dose delivered along the target line segment is at least four grays and is delivered in less than one second. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A radiation therapy method, comprising:
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receiving a beam of particles; steering the beam along a path using a plurality of magnets in a nozzle; and placing different thicknesses of material in the path of the beam in the nozzle to affect energies of particles in the beam and create an adjusted beam that delivers a dose with a Spread Out Bragg Peak along a target line segment in a target volume; wherein said placing comprises; moving a range modulator in the nozzle in a first direction between a position that is completely out of the path of the beam and a position in the nozzle that is in the path of the beam, wherein the range modulator comprises a plurality of arms extending from a hub, the arms having non-uniform thicknesses; and with the range modulator in the path of the beam, rotating the range modulator about the hub to place at least one of the arms in the path of the beam, wherein the energies of the particles is varied according to the thicknesses of the arms that pass through the beam, and wherein the thicknesses of the arms that pass through the beams is varied by moving the range modulator back-and-forth in the first direction. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A radiation therapy method, comprising:
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receiving a beam of particles; steering the beam along a path using a plurality of magnets in a nozzle; placing different thicknesses of material in the path of the beam in the nozzle to affect energies of particles in the beam and create an adjusted beam that delivers a dose with a Spread Out Bragg Peak along a target line segment in a target volume; tracking motion of the target volume; and delivering the dose along the target line segment to coincide with a position of the target volume, wherein the dose is delivered in a period of time short enough to counter uncertainties in the position due to the motion of the target volume. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification