The invention relates to a system for planning a radiation therapy treatment. The system obtains a first treatment plan generated in accordance with values of parameters quantifying an amount of radiation provided by radiation components, obtains an instruction to change a radiation dose delivered to at least one volume element, and directly calculates, for each of the radiation components, a change of the amount of radiation provided by the radiation component based on the instruction and based on the contribution of the radiation component to the radiation dose delivered to the at least one volume element. In order to observe upper and/or lower thresholds of the parameter values, the updated parameter values are calculated by iteratively adding the determined changes to the parameter values until a parameter value reaches the threshold or until the desired dose change is realized.

Described herein are methods for reducing or maintaining the size of a tumor in a subject, where the method involves exposing the tumor to ionizing radiation and administering to the subject a modified hyaluronan or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester. The use of the modified hyaluronan enhances or potentiates the effect of ionizing radiation used in cancer treatment. Additionally, the methods described herein prevent or reduces tumor regrowth in the subject after exposing the tumor to ionizing radiation and administration of the modified hyaluronan to the subject.

A delivery assembly includes a console including a vial containment region and a vial engagement mechanism extending from the console within the vial containment region. The engagement mechanism is configured to engage a vial assembly. The delivery assembly further includes a sled assembly removably coupled to the console at the vial containment region and a safety shield removably coupled to the console over the vial containment region such that the vial engagement mechanism and the sled assembly are encapsulated within the safety shield when the safety shield is coupled thereto. The sled assembly, the vial assembly, and the safety shield are configured to inhibit radioactive emissions from within the vial containment region.

A composition including magnetic nanoparticles for use in the treatment of a tissue volume including pathological cells in an individual, wherein a portion only of the tissue volume is occupied by the magnetic nanoparticles upon administration of the composition to the individual and the magnetic nanoparticles are excited by radiation.

Disclosed herein are formulations and methods of administering formulations to starve cells of nutrients, such as amino acids. The formulations of the present invention can be substantially be devoid of one or more amino acid. The formulations of the present invention can be administered in a combination with an amino acid biosynthesis inhibitor or radiotherapy. A method disclosed herein can sensitize a cell to serine and/or glycine depletion.

This invention relates the use of cortisol blockers (glucocorticoid receptor [GR] antagonists) for the treating or preventing treatment resistant prostate cancer, treating or preventing neoplasia, and treating or preventing infection related to acute or chronic injury or disease.

Methods and systems for radiation therapy involve administering a payload/combination of biocompatible high-Z and semiconductor NPs to tissue, such as a tumor or an eye. Ionizing radiation may be directed towards the payload, and ionized electrons generate Cerenkov radiation (CR). The CR interacts with semiconductor NPs to produce chemical species that are damaging to cells. The payload may be administered via injection or via a radiotherapy (RT) device that includes NPs in a biodegradable polymer matrix. Biodegradation of the polymer matrix, which results in release of its payload, may be remotely activated using, for example, electromagnetic or sound waves. The payload may include one or more immunologic adjuvants capable of promoting an immunologic response at remote sites (such as a metastatic tumors) that are separate from the site at which the NPs and adjuvants were administered.

Methods for dose or treatment planning for a radiotherapy system including a radiotherapy unit are provided. A spatial dose delivered can be changed by adjusting beam shape settings, and the delivered radiation is determined using an optimization problem that steers the delivered radiation according to objectives reflecting criteria for regions of interest including at least one of: targets to be treated during treatment of the patient, organs at risk and/or healthy tissue. The method includes determining an inner set of voxels and providing a first frame description for the inner set of voxels, where the first frame description reflects criteria for the inner set of voxels. Determining an outer set of voxels encompassing the target volume and the inner set of voxels and a frame description for the outer set of voxels is provided where each reflecting criteria for the outer set of voxels. The frame descriptions are then used in the optimization problem that steers the delivered radiation.

Disclosed is an apparatus for measuring the distribution of radiation dose emitted from a brachytherapy insertion tool, the apparatus including a housing having defined therein a measurement space in which the brachytherapy insertion tool is located, a fluorescent member disposed at the housing, the fluorescent member being configured to react with radiation emitted to the measurement space and to emit light, a camera disposed in the housing, and a cover coupled to one surface of the housing, the cover being configured to cover the fluorescent member. The portion of the fluorescent member to which radiation from a radiation source of the brachytherapy insertion tool is applied reacts with the radiation and generates light, brightness of the light varies depending on distribution of the radiation, and the position at which the light is bright is calculated to measure the direction in which the brachytherapy insertion tool has no shielding.

A computed tomography apparatus and a method for influencing a position of a focal spot in an x-ray radiation source having a centering device to center an electron beam and a focus are provided. The method includes positioning a reference object into a beam path of x-ray radiation between the x-ray radiation source and an x-ray radiation detector, the x-ray radiation detector having detector elements to generate an x-ray image, capturing an x-ray image of the reference object at different powers, reducing a focal spot displacement occurring at the different powers based on a comparison of the x-ray images captured at the different powers with one another, by setting at least one altered electric current to operate the centering device or the centering devices of the x-ray radiation source, and operating the computed tomography apparatus with the altered electric current, by which the focal spot displacement was reduced.