A treatment planning apparatus 501 or a clinical decision support apparatus 701 calculates a dose distribution, calculates the damage to a normal tissue for a plurality of number of times of radiation irradiation based on the calculated dose distribution, and displays at least one or more calculated damages to the normal tissues on display apparatuses 603 and 703 or outputs the same to an outside of the apparatuses 501 and 701. Accordingly, since effects can be calculated for a plurality of number of times of irradiation, the optimum number of time of irradiation can be presented, and an operator and a doctor can be presented with a suitable decision material of a radiation irradiation planning.

A method for determining an irradiation plan includes specifying a target volume to be irradiated and a condition to be fulfilled, and implementing a first optimization. Implementing the first optimization includes providing a first data record, in which the target volume is mapped, and determining a first parameter set for the irradiation planning by implementing a first optimization algorithm. The first parameter set is optimized with respect to the condition to be fulfilled by using the first data record. The method also includes implementing a second optimization that includes providing a second data record that has a higher resolution than the first data record, determining a second parameter set by implementing a second optimization algorithm. The second parameter set is optimized with respect to the condition to be fulfilled by using the second data record and using the first parameter set. The method also includes generating an irradiation planning data record from the second parameter set.

A method and apparatus to automatically control the timing of an image acquisition by an imaging system in developing a correlation model of movement of a target within a patient.

A medical data processing method for tracking the position of a body surface of a patient's body, the method comprising determining, based on initial surface reflection data and reflection pattern registration data, body surface movement data describing whether the body surface has undergone a movement.

An image-guided therapy delivery system includes a therapy generator configured to generate a therapy beam directed to a time-varying therapy locus within a therapy recipient, an imaging input configured to receive imaging information about a time-varying target locus within the therapy recipient, and a therapy controller. The therapy generator includes a therapy output configured to direct the therapy beam according to a therapy protocol. The therapy controller is configured to automatically generate a predicted target locus using information indicative of an earlier target locus extracted from the imaging information, a cyclic motion model, and a specified latency, and automatically generate an updated therapy protocol to align the time-varying therapy locus with the predicted target locus.

Subject positioning systems and methods are provided. A method may include obtaining first information of at least part of a subject when the subject is located at a preset position, and determining, based on the first information, a first position of each of one or more feature points located on the at least part of the subject. The method may include obtaining, using an imaging device, second information of the at least part of the subject when the subject is located at a candidate position. The method may further include determining, based on the second information, a second position of each of the one or more feature points, a first distance between the first position and the second position for each feature point of the one or more feature points, and a target position of the subject based at least in part on the one or more first distances.

A control circuit controls real-time administration of a radiation-treatment plan that administers a therapeutic radiation dose to a patient. This includes compensating for a first movement as regards the application setting using a first treatment-administration modality and responding to detection of a second movement by using a second treatment-administration modality that is different from the first treatment-administration modality.

Techniques are described herein for delivering a particle beam from a continuously rotating gantry towards a target according to a determined patient state. The determined patient state and an identified gantry angle of a gantry may be used to deliver a set of beamlets (e.g., a pattern of radiation dose) to the target. The particle beam may rotate through a range of gantry angles. The set of beamlets may be delivered continuously while the gantry rotates.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for directing protons to a tumor, comprising the steps of: (1) holding a patient with a patient support; (2) providing an imaging system comprising: a rotatable unit at least partially surrounding an axial perimeter of the patient support, a translation guide rail, an imaging source attached to the rotatable unit, and an imaging detector attached to the rotatable unit; (3) translating and rotating the imaging source and the imaging detector relative to the patient support using the translation guide rail and the rotatable unit; and (4) providing an attachment section connected: on a first end to a robotic arm positioning system and on a second end to the patient support and the imaging system, the robotic arm positioning system repositioning, relative to a nozzle system linked to the synchrotron, the attachment system supporting the patient support system and the imaging system.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for using a single robotic positioning arm to simultaneously move, relative to a proton beam path entering a treatment room containing the patient, both: (1) a patient support and (2) an imaging system. The robotic arm moving the imaging system and patient independently from movement of a nozzle system directing protons into the treatment rooms allows: simultaneously translating past the patient and rotating around the patient an X-ray source of the imaging system; translating a rotatable unit, of the imaging system, longitudinally past the patient on a translation guide rail; moving the patient support and the imaging system through at least four degrees of freedom relative to a movable proton beam; and/or simultaneous or alternating movement of the proton treatment beam and the imaging system relative to the patient.