A neutron activator for neutron activation of a material, the neutron activator being configured to produce neutrons from an interaction with a proton beam (7), the neutron activator comprising: a neutron source comprising a metallic target (1), and a Beryllium first reflector-moderator (4) peripheral to the neutron source and comprising a neutron activation area (10) configured to accommodate the neutron source and the material to be activated, the neutron activation area (10) of the first reflector-moderator (4) comprising a bore configured to accommodate the neutron source. FIG. 1

Disclosed herein are methods for patient setup and registration for the irradiation of target tissue regions. A method for positioning a patient for radiation therapy may include acquiring an image of a first patient target region and a second patient target region. A first set of patient position-shift vectors may be calculated based on the acquired image and a treatment planning image of the first patient target region. A second set of patient position-shift vectors may be calculated based on the acquired image, a treatment planning image of the second patient target region, and the first set of patient position-shift vectors. The patient may be positioned according to the first set of patient position-shift vectors in a first location. The patient may be moved to a second location and positioned according to the second set of patient position-shift vectors.

The present invention relates to the treatment of cancer by irradiation by high energy photons, wherein the cancer has been infused with a heavy metal. The invention further relates to the use of pair-production for increased cancer cell destruction.

An x-ray imaging apparatus and associated methods are provided to execute multi-pass imaging scans for improved quality and workflow. An imaging scan can be segmented into multiple passes that are faster than the full imaging scan. Data received by an initial scan pass can be utilized early in the workflow and of sufficient quality for treatment setup, including while the another scan pass is executed to generate data needed for higher quality images, which may be needed for treatment planning. In one embodiment, a data acquisition and reconstruction technique is used when the detector is offset in the channel and/or axial direction for a large FOV during multiple passes.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for guiding the delivery of therapeutic radiation using incomplete or partial images acquired during a treatment session. A partial image does not have enough information to determine the location of a target region due to, for example, poor or low contrast and/or low SNR. The radiation fluence calculation methods described herein do not require knowledge or calculation of the target location, and yet may help to provide real-time image guided radiation therapy using arbitrarily low SNR images.

An apparatus comprising a radiation source, coincident positron emission detectors configured to detect coincident positron annihilation emissions originating within a coordinate system, and a controller coupled to the radiation source and the coincident positron emission detectors, the controller configured to identify coincident positron annihilation emission paths intersecting one or more volumes in the coordinate system and align the radiation source along an identified coincident positron annihilation emission path.

A computer-implemented method of performing a treatment fraction of radiation therapy comprises: determining a current position of a target volume of patient anatomy; based on the current position of the target volume, computing an accumulated dose for non-target tissue proximate the target volume; determining that the accumulated dose is less than a current value for a dose budget of the non-target tissue; and in response to the accumulated dose being less than the current value for the dose budget, applying a treatment beam to the target volume while the target volume is in the current position.

An x-ray micro-beam radiation production system is provided having: a source of accelerated electrons, an electron focusing component configured to focus the electrons provided by the source, and a target which produces x-rays when electrons impinge thereon from the source. The electron focusing component is configured to focus the electrons provided by the source such that they impinge at a focal spot having a width δ formed on a surface of the target. The focusing component is configured to move the electron beam relative to the target such that the focal spot moves across the target surface in the width direction, and/or the target is movable relative to the focusing component such that the focal spot moves across the target surface in the width direction, the surface velocity of the focal spot across the target surface in the width direction being greater than v.sub.t where:formula (I), k, ρ and c denoting respectively the heat conductivity, the density and the heat capacity of the target material, and d denoting the electron penetration depth in the target material.

[00001]$v_t=\frac{\pi k}{4\rho c}.Math.\frac{\delta }{d^2},$

Disclosed herein is a method for producing a calibrated pseudo-CT image of at least part of a patient for radiation treatment planning. The method comprises obtaining radiation intensity data indicative of attenuation properties of tissues within the patient and calibrating a first pseudo-CT image of at least part of the patient using the radiation intensity data to produce the calibrated pseudo-CT image.

An x-ray imaging apparatus and associated methods are provided to execute multi-pass imaging scans for improved quality and workflow. An imaging scan can be segmented into multiple passes that are faster than the full imaging scan. Data received by an initial scan pass can be utilized early in the workflow and of sufficient quality for treatment setup, including while the another scan pass is executed to generate data needed for higher quality images, which may be needed for treatment planning. In one embodiment, a data acquisition and reconstruction technique is used when the detector is offset in the channel and/or axial direction for a large FOV during multiple passes.