Radiation therapy treatment planning and radiation therapy treatment including mu distribution visualization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12447356-B2
Application number	US-202318467054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2023
Priority date	Sep 14, 2023
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A system includes at least one processor configured to execute computer executable instructions to cause the system to: generate or obtain a first radiation treatment plan for a treatment target in a patient, the first radiation treatment plan prescribing beam characteristics for a plurality of beamlets or spots in the treatment target, the beam characteristics including a monitor unit value associated with each of the plurality of beamlets or spots in at least a first field; and display, via a graphical user interface, at least one representation of a first distribution of monitor units for the first radiation treatment plan, the at least one representation of the first distribution of monitor units indicating, for each respective monitor unit value, a number of beamlets or spots in at least the first field having the respective monitor unit value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a memory storing computer executable instructions; and
at least one processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to
generate or obtain a first radiation treatment plan for a treatment target in a patient, the first radiation treatment plan prescribing beam characteristics for a plurality of beamlets or spots in the treatment target, the beam characteristics including a monitor unit value associated with each of the plurality of beamlets or spots in at least a first field, and
display, via a graphical user interface, at least one representation of a first distribution of monitor units for the first radiation treatment plan, the at least one representation of the first distribution of monitor units indicating, for each respective monitor unit value, a number of beamlets or spots in at least the first field having the respective monitor unit value.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to display the at least one representation during radiation treatment planning optimization.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to display a plurality of representations of the first distribution of monitor units via the graphical user interface.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of representations of the first distribution of monitor units includes at least one histogram and at least one density chart.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of representations of the first distribution of monitor units are displayed concurrently via the graphical user interface.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of representations of the first distribution of monitor units includes at least one histogram and at least one density chart.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a radiation therapy machine configured to apply radiation therapy treatment to the treatment target based on the first radiation treatment plan after display of the at least one representation.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one representation of the first distribution of monitor units includes at least one of a histogram or a density chart.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein
the at least one representation of the first distribution of monitor units includes a density chart, and
the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to display a marker on the density chart, the marker indicating a minimum monitor unit for at least one of the first radiation treatment plan or the first field.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to display, via the graphical user interface, at least one representation of a second distribution of monitor units for a second field of the first radiation treatment plan, the at least one representation of the second distribution of monitor units indicating, for each respective monitor unit value, a number of beamlets or spots in the second field having the respective monitor unit value.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one representation of the first distribution and the at least one representation of the second distribution are overlayed on one another.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to
receive a defined distribution of monitor units for the first radiation treatment plan, and
adjust the first distribution of monitor units based on the defined distribution of monitor units.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one representation of the first distribution is a color density chart.

14. A system comprising:
a memory storing computer executable instructions; and
at least one processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to
generate or obtain a first candidate radiation treatment plan for a treatment target in a patient, the first candidate radiation treatment plan prescribing first beam characteristics for a plurality of beamlets or spots in the treatment target, the first beam characteristics including a first monitor unit value associated with each of the plurality of beamlets or spots,
generate or obtain a second candidate radiation treatment plan for the treatment target in the patient, the second candidate radiation treatment plan prescribing second beam characteristics for the plurality of beamlets or spots in the treatment target, the second beam characteristics including a second monitor unit value associated with each of the plurality of beamlets or spots,
display, via a graphical user interface, at least one representation of a first distribution of monitor units for the first candidate radiation treatment plan, the at least one representation of the first distribution of monitor units indicating, for each respective first monitor unit value, a first number of beamlets or spots having the respective first monitor unit value, and
display, via the graphical user interface, at least one representation of a second distribution of monitor units for the second candidate radiation treatment plan, the at least one representation of the second distribution of monitor units indicating, for each respective second monitor unit value, a second number of beamlets or spots having the respective second monitor unit value.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one representation of the first distribution and the at least one representation of the second distribution include at least one of a histogram or a density chart.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one representation of the first distribution and the at least one representation of the second distribution are overlayed on one another.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to select one of the first candidate radiation treatment plan or the second candidate radiation treatment plan as a radiation treatment plan for the patient based on the first distribution and the second distribution.

18. The system of claim 17 , further comprising:
a radiation therapy machine configured to apply radiation therapy treatment to the patient based on the radiation treatment plan for the patient.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the at least one representation of the first distribution or the at least one representation of the second distribution includes a color density chart.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer executable instructions to cause the system to display the at least one representation of the first distribution of monitor units and the at least one representation of the second distribution of monitor units during radiation treatment planning optimization.

Assignees

• Varian Med Sys Inc

Inventors

• Lansonneur Pierre
• Folkerts Michael

Classifications

• A61N5/103 Primary

  Treatment planning systems · CPC title

• A61N2005/1087

  Ions; Protons · CPC title

• A61N2005/1074

  Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces · CPC title

• A61N5/1048

  Monitoring, verifying, controlling systems and methods · CPC title

• G16H20/40

  relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture · CPC title