These teachings provide for accessing optimization information comprising at least one isocenter that corresponds to a body outline for a particular patient, field geometry information for a particular radiation treatment platform, and dosimetric data. The optimization information can further comprise a model of a body outline for the patient. A control circuit optimizes a radiation treatment plan as a function of the optimization information to provide an optimized radiation treatment plan where radiation dose levels delivered to the particular patient from a particular field depends on the relative volume magnitude of field path intersections to thereby reduce radiation dose delivery to healthy patient tissue in regions having relatively more overlapping fields.

The transverse intensity distribution of a beam of x-rays or other radiation can be modulated with a multi-slit collimator device that includes one or more sets of collimator leaves arranged in a one-dimensional array and individually movable to form slits of variable width between pairs of adjacent collimator leaves. A two-dimensional intensity distribution may be achieved using multiple sets of one-dimensionally arranged leaves, e.g., by stacking them along the beam in different orientations, or by stacking them in a transverse direction to form a two-dimensional array of leaves. In some embodiments, the multi-slit collimator device also serves beam-monitoring purposes.

A method and apparatus for radiation therapy using functional measurements of branching structures. The method includes determining a location of each voxel of a plurality of voxels in a reference frame of a radiation device. The method further includes obtaining measurements that indicate a tissue type at each voxel. The method further includes determining a subset of the voxels based on an anatomical parameter of a respective branching structure of a set of branching structures indicated by the measurements. The method further includes determining a subset of the voxels that enclose an organ-at-risk (OAR) volume. The method further includes determining a value of a utility measure at each voxel. The method further includes determining a series of beam shapes and intensities which minimize a value of an objective function based on a computed dose delivered to each voxel and the utility measure for that voxel summed over all voxels.

A radiation device directs a beam of radiation onto a target. The beam can be adjusted using, for example, a control for setting beam shape and a control for setting beam intensity. The target is supported on a surface that can be adjusted using, for example, a control for setting surface position and a control for setting a speed for moving the surface. Controls are selected to adjust the beam and the surface cooperatively in order to compensate for movement of the target.

A method of determining treatment geometries for a radiotherapy treatment includes providing a patient model having one or more regions of interest (ROIs); defining a delivery coordinate space (DCS); for each beam's eye view (BEV) plane of each vertex in the DCS, and for each ROI, evaluating a dose of the ROI using transport solutions; evaluating a BEV scores of each pixel of the BEV plane using the doses of the one or more ROIs; determining one or more BEV regions in the BEV plane based on the BEV scores; determining a BEV region connectivity manifold based on the BEV regions; determining a set of treatment trajectories based on the BEV region connectivity manifold; and determining one or more IMRT fields. Each treatment trajectory defines a path through a set of vertices in the DCS. Each IMRT field defines a direction of incidence corresponding to a vertex in the DCS.

Radiation treatment planning includes accessing values of parameters such as a number of beams to be directed into sub-volumes in a target, beam directions, and beam energies. Information that specifies limits for the radiation treatment plan are accessed. The limits include a limit on irradiation time for each sub-volume outside the target. Other limits can include a limit on irradiation time for each sub-volume in the target, a limit on dose rate for each sub-volume in the target, and a limit on dose rate for each sub-volume outside the target. The values of the parameters are adjusted until the irradiation time for each sub-volume outside the target satisfies the maximum limit on irradiation time.

Disclosed is a patient positioning assembly for orientating a patient with respect to a radiation source. The patient positioning assembly includes a translatable member movable in a vertical direction between a vertically downwards first position and a vertically upwards second position. The patient positioning assembly further includes a patient support assembly mounted to the translatable member and adapted to rotate relative to the translatable member about a vertical axis. The patient support assembly is configurable between a first orientation, which sustains the patient in a seated position, and a second orientation, which sustains the patient in a generally standing position.

A multi-leaf collimator module for a radiotherapy device comprises: a leaf bank comprising a plurality of leaves. The module also comprises a leaf guide arranged to guide linear movement of the leaves in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction, the leaf guide being in direct contact with the leaves. The module further comprises a plurality of leaf actuators, each leaf actuator arranged to engender relative linear motion in the first direction and second direction between one leaf in the leaf bank and other leaves in the leaf bank; and a leaf bank actuator arranged to engender relative linear motion in the first direction and second direction between the entire leaf bank and the leaf guide.

A radiation treatment plan is determined by: [1] receiving a current fluence map defining a radiation dose; [2] receiving a current control-point sequence describing machine settings for a collimator associated with a radiation source; [3] determining an updated fluence map and an updated control-point sequence based on the current fluence map; [4] determining a further updated control-point sequence based on the updated control-point sequence and the updated fluence map; [5] determining a further updated fluence map based on the updated fluence map, the updated control-point sequence and the further updated control-point sequence; [6] checking if a stopping criterion is fulfilled; if so: stopping the process, and producing an output radiation treatment plan based on the further updated control-point sequence; and otherwise: setting the further updated fluence map, or zero, to the current fluence map; setting the further updated control-point sequence to the current control-point sequence; and returning to step [3].

A multileaf collimator includes a plurality of movable leaves for shaping a radiotherapy beam, wherein each leaf is independently movable in a same linear travel direction. Each leaf includes a linear array of magnets disposed on a measurement surface of the leaf and an array of magnetoresistive sensors that is disposed proximate the measurement surfaces of the leaves.