Device and method for assisting in a brachytherapy procedure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10933254-B2
Application number	US-201615754015-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2016
Priority date	Sep 1, 2015
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a delivery assistance device for assisting in a brachytherapy procedure. The invention provides for an output of an optimized treatment plan, taking into considering the portions of the procedure already carried out. The invention provides for an update of the sequence and the dosing after, for example, each needle insertion. The sequence of the treatment plan is determined such that, for example, steps of the procedure in which an error may have a larger impact, which needs to be corrected by modifying later steps, are provided earlier than steps in which an error is less likely and/or may have a lesser impact.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A delivery system for a brachytherapy procedure, comprising:
a delivery assistance device, comprising:
an input unit arranged to receive information on a treatment objective;
a planning unit arranged to determine a treatment plan based on the received information on the treatment objective, the treatment plan including dosage information for steps of the brachytherapy procedure; and
an output unit arranged to output the treatment plan,
wherein the treatment plan further includes sequence information for the steps of the brachytherapy procedure in the treatment plan indicating an order in which at least a subset of the steps of the brachytherapy procedure are to be carried out,
wherein the planning unit is arranged to determine the sequence information so as to minimize a deviation expectation, indicating a deviation from the treatment objective to be expected, based on error expectation ranges of the steps of the brachytherapy procedure,
wherein the input unit is further arranged to receive information on already provided steps of the brachytherapy procedure,
wherein the planning unit is further arranged to determine a revised treatment plan based on the received information on the treatment objective and on the already provided steps of the brachytherapy procedure, and
wherein the output unit is arranged to output the revised treatment plan;
a brachytherapy control device; and
at least one brachytherapy instrument configured by the brachytherapy control device to deliver dosages to a patient based on the treatment plan and the revised treatment plan.

2. The delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the planning unit includes:
a calculation section for calculating a preliminary result from the information on already provided steps;
a difference determination section for determining a difference between the preliminary result and the treatment objective; and
a sub-plan determination section for determining a treatment sub-plan by means of inverse optimization on the determined difference,
wherein the planning unit is arranged to determine the revised treatment plan by replacing the dosage information and sequence information for not yet provided steps of the treatment plan according to the treatment sub-plan.

3. The delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the planning unit includes a deviation calculation section for calculating the deviation expectation for the treatment plan in view of the treatment objective according to a predetermined metric.

4. The delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined metric includes a quantification as to at least one of a dose distribution, a brachytherapy instrument location and a use of the brachytherapy instrument.

5. The delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined metric includes a quantification as to a dose distribution when determining at least one of an impact on an overall dose distribution and an impact on clinical objectives.

6. The delivery system claim 3 , wherein the predetermined metric includes a quantification as to a brachytherapy instrument location taking into account the location of the brachytherapy instrument relative to at least one of a target volume, an organ at risk during the brachytherapy procedure, another brachytherapy instrument and a imaging device provided to monitor the brachytherapy instrument.

7. The delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined metric includes a quantification as to use of a brachytherapy instrument taking into account at least one of a total dwelling time per instrument, a number of dwell positions per instrument and a number of radiation seeds per instrument.

8. The delivery system claim 3 , wherein the predetermined metric includes a plurality of factors and a set of priorities for a relative weighing of the factors.

9. The delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the deviation calculation section is arranged to determine the deviation expectation of the treatment plan based on a simulation, wherein the simulation includes a predetermined amount of error in carrying out not yet provided steps of the treatment plan.

10. The delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the planning unit includes a permutation section for obtaining sequence permutations of not yet provided steps of an unrevised treatment plan, wherein the planning unit is arranged to determine the revised treatment plan by selecting the sequence permutation providing the lowest deviation expectation.

11. The delivery system of claim 3 , wherein the planning unit includes a variation section for obtaining dosage variations of not yet provided steps of an unrevised treatment plan, wherein the planning unit is arranged to determine the revised treatment plan by selecting the dosage variation providing the lowest deviation expectation.

12. A software product for assisting in the brachytherapy procedure, the software product comprising program code means for causing a delivery assistance device according to claim 1 for assisting in the brachytherapy procedure when the software product is run on the delivery assistance device.

13. A brachytherapy delivery method for a brachytherapy procedure, comprising:
an initial receiving step of receiving information on a treatment objective;
a planning step of determining a treatment plan based on the received information on the treatment objective, the treatment plan including dosage information for steps of the brachytherapy procedure; and
an initial output step of outputting the treatment plan, wherein the treatment plan further includes sequence information for the steps of the brachytherapy procedure in the treatment plan indicating an order in which at least a subset of the steps of the brachytherapy procedure are to be carried out, wherein the planning step includes determining the sequence information so as to minimize a deviation expectation, indicating a deviation from the treatment objective to be expected, based on error expectation ranges of the steps of the brachytherapy procedure, wherein the method further comprises, after at least one step of the brachytherapy procedure is provided:
an additional receiving step of receiving information on already provided steps of the brachytherapy procedure;
a revision step of determining a revised treatment plan based on the received information on the treatment objective and on the already provided steps of the brachytherapy procedure, wherein the revision step includes determining sequence information of the revised treatment plan so as to minimize the deviation expectation, indicating a deviation from the treatment objective to be expected, based on error expectation ranges of remaining steps of the brachytherapy procedure;
an additional output step of outputting the revised treatment plan; and
treatment steps of delivering dosages to a patient based on the treatment plan according to the initial output step and the revised treatment plan according to the additional output step.

14. The brachytherapy delivery method of claim 13 , wherein the additional receiving step, the revision step and the additional output step are carried out after provision of each step of the brachytherapy procedure, respectively.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Borot De Battisti Maxence
• Hautvast Guillaume Leopold Theodorus Frederik
• De Senneville Baudouin Denis
• Moerland Rien
• Maenhout Metha
• Binnekamp Dirk

Classifications

• A61N5/1001 Primary

  using radiation sources introduced into or applied onto the body; brachytherapy · CPC title

• A61N5/1038

  taking into account previously administered plans applied to the same patient, i.e. adaptive radiotherapy · CPC title

• A61N2005/101

  Magazines or cartridges for seeds · CPC title

• A61N2005/1024

  Seeds · CPC title

• A61N5/1027

  Interstitial radiation therapy · CPC title