Radiation treatment based on dose rate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11534625-B2
Application number	US-202017031699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2020
Priority date	Mar 6, 2019
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

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-generating system that generates a beam; and
a control system coupled to the beam-generating system, comprising a processor and a memory;
wherein the memory stores a radiation treatment plan comprises an irradiation time-volume histogram for a target volume, wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time; and
wherein the beam-generating system and the beam 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 an irradiation time-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 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.

8. A method of using a radiation treatment system for radiation treatment, the method comprising:
controlling, with a control system, a beam of radiation that is directed at a target volume, wherein said controlling is according to a radiation treatment plan stored in a memory of the control system, wherein the radiation treatment plan comprises a predicted dose rate-volume histogram for the target volume, wherein the predicted dose rate-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume predicted to receive a respective dose rate based on the radiation treatment plan;
measuring dose rate to the target volume during the radiation treatment;
determining a measured dose rate-volume histogram based on the dose rate to the target volume measured during the radiation treatment;
comparing the predicted dose rate-volume histogram and the measured dose rate-volume histogram; and
adjusting the beam direction and/or the beam direction based on a result of said comparing.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the target volume comprises a plurality of sub-volumes, wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises a predicted dose rate-volume histogram for each sub-volume of the plurality of sub-volumes, and wherein the method further comprises:
measuring dose rate to said each sub-volume during the radiation treatment;
determining a measured dose rate-volume histogram for said each sub-volume based on the dose rate to the target volume measured during the radiation treatment;
comparing the predicted dose rate-volume histogram for said each sub-volume and the measured dose rate-volume histogram for said each sub-volume; and
adjusting the beam direction and/or the beam direction based on results of said comparing.

10. 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.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the beam comprises a type of beam selected from the group consisting of: proton; electron; photon; atom nuclei; and ion.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram.

13. The method of claim 8 , 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.

14. 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; 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 an irradiation time-volume histogram for the target volume, and wherein the irradiation time-volume histogram indicates a percentage of the target volume that is irradiated for a respective length of time.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the target volume comprises a plurality of sub-volumes, wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises an irradiation time-volume histogram for each sub-volume of the sub-volumes.

16. The method of claim 14 , 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.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the beam comprises a type of beam selected from the group consisting of: proton; electron; photon; atom nuclei; and ion.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises 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.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the radiation treatment plan further comprises isolines of dose rates relative to the target volume based on the dose rate-volume histogram.

20. The method of claim 18 , 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 plurality of sub-volumes.

Assignees

• Varian Medical Systems
• Varian Med Sys Inc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• A61N5/1043

  Scanning the radiation beam, e.g. spot scanning or raster scanning · CPC title

• A61N2005/1034

  Monte Carlo type methods; particle tracking · CPC title

• A61N5/103 Primary

  Treatment planning systems · CPC title

• A61N5/1045

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

• A61N2005/1035

  Simulated annealing · CPC title