METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR THE PLANNING AND DELIVERY OF RADIATION TREATMENTS

摘要

Methods and apparatus are provided for planning and delivering radiation treatments by modalities which involve moving a radiation source along a trajectory relative to a subject while delivering radiation to the subject. In some embodiments the radiation source is moved continuously along the trajectory while in some embodiments the radiation source is moved intermittently. Some embodiments involve the optimization of the radiation delivery plan to meet various optimization goals while meeting a number of constraints. For each of a number of control points along a trajectory, a radiation delivery plan may comprise: a set of motion axes parameters, a set of beam shape parameters and a beam intensity.

主权项

1. A method for delivering radiation dose to a target area within a subject, the method comprising:
defining a trajectory comprising relative movement between a treatment radiation source and the subject and determining a radiation delivery plan; sensing a position of the subject; while effecting relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject along the trajectory, delivering a treatment radiation beam from the treatment radiation source to the subject according to the radiation delivery plan to impart a dose distribution on the subject, wherein delivering the treatment radiation beam from the treatment radiation source to the subject comprises: varying at least one of an intensity of the treatment radiation beam and a shape of the treatment radiation beam over at least a portion of the trajectory; deactivating delivery of the treatment radiation beam upon sensing that the position is outside of an acceptable range; and reactivating delivery of the treatment radiation beam upon sensing that the position is within the acceptable range; and wherein varying the intensity of the treatment radiation beam over at least a portion of the trajectory comprises varying a radiation output rate of the treatment radiation source in accordance with the radiation delivery plan while effecting relative movement between the treatment radiation source and the subject along the trajectory.