Radiation treatment based on dose rate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10814144-B2
Application number	US-201916294707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 6, 2019
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A dose rate-volume histogram can be generated for a target volume. The dose rate-volume histogram can be stored in computer system memory and used to generate a radiation treatment plan. The radiation treatment plan can be used as the basis for treating a patient using a radiation treatment system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation treatment system, comprising:
a beam system that generates a beam;
a nozzle coupled to the beam system and that directs the beam to a target volume; and
a control system coupled to the beam system and to the nozzle, the control system comprising a computer system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor;
wherein the memory stores a radiation treatment plan comprising a dose rate-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the dose rate-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that receives a respective dose rate; and
wherein the beam system and the nozzle are controlled by the control system according to the radiation treatment plan.

2. The radiation treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the target volume comprises a plurality of sub-volumes, wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises a dose rate-volume histogram for each sub-volume of the sub-volumes.

3. The radiation treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises a number of irradiations of the target volume, a duration of each of the irradiations, and a dose deposited in each of the irradiations.

4. The radiation treatment system of claim 3 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises a period of time during which the irradiations are applied, and an interval of time between each period of irradiations.

5. The radiation treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises directions of the beam relative to the target volume, and a beam energy for the beam.

6. The radiation treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the beam comprises a type of beam selected from the group consisting of: proton; electron; photon; atom nuclei; and ion.

7. The radiation treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram.

8. The radiation treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time.

9. A method of using a radiation treatment system, the method comprising:
generating a beam with a beam system;
directing the beam at a target volume with a nozzle coupled to the beam system; and
controlling the beam with a control system comprising a computer system comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein said controlling is according to a radiation treatment plan stored in the memory, wherein the radiation treatment plan comprises a dose rate-volume histogram for the target volume, and wherein the dose rate-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that receives a respective dose rate.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the target volume comprises a plurality of sub-volumes, wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises a dose rate-volume histogram for each sub-volume of the sub-volumes.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises a number of irradiations of the target volume, a duration of each of the irradiations, and a dose deposited in each of the irradiations, a period of time during which the irradiations are applied, an interval of time between each period of irradiations, directions of the beam relative to the target volume, and a beam energy for the beam.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the beam comprises a type of beam selected from the group consisting of: proton; electron; photon; atom nuclei; and ion.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time.

15. A method of using a radiation treatment system, the method comprising:
generating a beam with a beam system;
directing the beam at a target volume with a nozzle coupled to the beam system, wherein the target volume comprises a plurality of sub-volumes;
monitoring, with a control system coupled to the beam system, values of parameters, the values comprising a number of irradiations of each sub-volume of the plurality of sub-volumes, a duration of each of the irradiations for said each sub-volume, and a dose deposited in said each sub-volume, that result from said directing;
determining a dose rate for said each sub-volume using the values of the parameters; and
determining a dose rate-volume histogram for the target volume using the dose rate for said each sub-volume, wherein the dose rate-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that receives a respective dose rate.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining a dose rate-volume histogram for said each sub-volume.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the values of the parameters further comprise a period of time during which the irradiations are applied, an interval of time between each period of irradiations, directions of the beam relative to the target volume, and a beam energy for the beam.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the beam comprises a type of beam selected from the group consisting of: proton; electron; photon; atom nuclei; and ion.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising determining an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time.

Assignees

• Varian Medical Systems
• Varian Med Sys Inc

Inventors

• Khuntia Deepak
• Vertatschitsch Edward
• Abel Eric
• Magliari Anthony
• Smith Christel

Classifications

• A61N2005/1034

  Monte Carlo type methods; particle tracking · CPC title

• A61N2005/1087

  Ions; Protons · CPC title

• A61N5/1045

  using a multi-leaf collimator, e.g. for intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT · CPC title

• A61N5/1031 Primary

  using a specific method of dose optimization · CPC title

• A61N2005/1035

  Simulated annealing · CPC title