Compact microbeam radiation therapy systems and methods for cancer treatment and research

摘要

The present subject matter relates to compact, non-synchrotron microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) systems and methods for cancer research and treatment based on a carbon nanotube distributed x-ray source array technology. The systems and methods can deliver microscopically discrete x-ray radiation at peak dose rate of 10 Gy per second or higher. The x-ray radiation can be provided by a spatially distributed x-ray source array. The technology can be used, for example and without limitation, for human cancer treatment, for intra-operative radiation therapy, and for pre-clinical cancer research on animal cancer models.

主权项

1. A method for image guided microbeam radiation therapy, comprising:
imaging a patient to identify a treatment region; positioning the patient in a microbeam irradiator, wherein the irradiator comprises a plurality of distributed x-ray source arrays, wherein each of the plurality of distributed x-ray source arrays comprises one or more elongated focal tracks on a respective x-ray anode, and one or more of a microbeam collimator and a conformal collimator; aligning the treatment region with a microbeam irradiator position; and irradiating the treatment region with a plurality of microbeam arrays simultaneously from a plurality of entrance angles with prescribed beam energy, width, pitch, dose, and peak-to-valley-dose-ratio.