System and method for quantitative mapping of radioactivity production rate during proton therapy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016296766-A1
Application number	US-201615095827-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 11, 2016
Priority date	Apr 9, 2015
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method for method for quantifying radioactivity production during a proton treatment of a patient. In some aspects, a method includes administering, using a proton delivery system, a proton treatment using at least one therapeutic proton beam generating positron emitting radionuclides within a region of interest (ROI) of a patient, and acquiring, using an emission tomography system, emission tomography data indicative of an activity of the positron emitting radionuclides in the ROI. The method also includes quantifying, based on a kinetic model, a radioactivity production rate of at least one positron emitting radionuclide using the emission tomography data. The method further includes generating at least one map indicative of the radioactivity production rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method for quantifying radioactivity production during a proton treatment of a patient, the method comprising:
(a) administering, using a proton delivery system, a proton treatment using at least one therapeutic proton beam generating positron emitting radionuclides within a region of interest (ROI) of a patient; (b) acquiring, using an emission tomography system, emission tomography data indicative of an activity of the positron emitting radionuclides in the ROI; (c) quantifying, based on a kinetic model, a radioactivity production rate of at least one positron emitting radionuclide using the emission tomography data; and (d) generating at least one map indicative of the radioactivity production rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the positron emitting radionuclides comprise 15-O, 13-N, or 11-C, or a combination thereof.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the emission tomography system comprises a positron emission tomography (PET) system, a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system, a hybrid computed tomography (CT)/PET system, or a hybrid magnetic resonance (MR)/PET system.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the emission tomography data is acquired during the proton treatment or after a preselected time interval following the proton treatment.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the preselected time is up to 20 minutes.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the preselected time is selected to maximize emission tomography signals from 15-O.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises generating a time series of emission tomography images using the emission tomography data.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the kinetic model comprises a radioactivity clearance rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the radioactivity clearance rate includes a radioactive decay and a biological washout.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises analyzing the at least one map to determine information associated with the at least one therapeutic proton beam delivered.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the information comprises a penetration depth of the at least one therapeutic proton beam.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the information is utilized to a adapt a treatment plan.

13 . A system for quantifying radioactivity production during a proton treatment of a patient, the system comprising:
a proton delivery system configured to deliver a proton treatment using at least one therapeutic proton beam generating positron emitting radionuclides within a region of interest (ROI) of a patient; an emission tomography system configured to acquire emission tomography data indicative of an activity of the positron emitting radionuclides; at least one processor configured to:
receive the emission tomography data;
quantify, based on a kinetic model, a radioactivity production rate of at least one positron emitting radionuclide using the emission tomography data; and
generate at least one map indicative of the radioactivity production rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the positron emitting radionuclides comprise 15-O, 13-N, or 11-C, or a combination thereof.

15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the emission tomography system comprises a positron emission tomography (PET) system, a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system, a hybrid computed tomography (CT)/PET system, or a hybrid magnetic resonance (MR)/PET system.

16 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the emission tomography data is acquired during the proton treatment or after a preselected time interval following the proton treatment.

17 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to generate a time series of emission tomography images using the emission tomography data.

18 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the kinetic model comprises a radioactivity clearance rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the radioactivity clearance rate includes a radioactive decay and a biological washout.

20 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to analyze the at least one map to determine information associated with the at least one therapeutic proton beam delivered.

21 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the information comprises a penetration depth of the at least one therapeutic proton beam.

22 . The system of claim 21 , wherein the information is utilized to a adapt a treatment plan.

23 . The system of claim 21 , wherein the information is utilized to determine a response of the patient to the proton treatment.

24 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to generate a report indicative of radioactivity production during a proton treatment of a patient, the instructions comprising:
(a) accessing emission tomography data indicative of an activity of the positron emitting radionuclides generated in a region of interest (ROI) of a patient using at least one therapeutic proton beam; (b) quantifying, based on a kinetic model, a radioactivity production rate of at least one positron emitting radionuclide using the emission tomography data; and (c) generating a report indicative of the radioactivity production rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide.

25 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 , wherein the positron emitting radionuclides comprise 15-O, 13-N, or 11-C, or a combination thereof.

26 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 , wherein the kinetic model comprises a radioactivity clearance rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide.

27 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 , wherein the radioactivity clearance rate includes a radioactive decay and a biological washout.

28 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24 further comprising analyzing at least one map generated using the radioactivity production rate of the at least one positron emitting radionuclide to determine information associated with the at least one therapeutic proton beam.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Gen Hospital

Inventors

• El Fakhri Georges
• Alpert Nathaniel
• Zhu Xuping
• Grogg Kira

Classifications

• A61N2005/1052

  using positron emission tomography [PET] single photon emission computer tomography [SPECT] imaging · CPC title

• A61N2005/1087

  Ions; Protons · CPC title

• A61N5/1071 Primary

  for verifying the dose delivered by the treatment plan · CPC title