A structure configuring a ridge filter has line symmetry about a line vertical to a depth direction passing the center of the structure. A small structure obtained in such a way that the structure is divided by this line has a bilaterally asymmetric shape about a center line in an iterative direction, and has a point symmetric shape about an intersection between the center line in the iterative direction and the center line in the depth direction. Thicknesses in the iterative direction of an uppermost stream surface and a lowermost stream surface in the depth direction are equal to each other. The structure is configured so that a thick portion in the iterative direction of the uppermost stream surface and the lowermost stream surface is not present in the depth direction.

The invention comprises a system for patient specific control of charged particles in a charged particle beam path using one or more trays inserted into the charged particle beam path, such as at the exit port of a gantry nozzle in close proximity to a tumor of a patient. Each tray holds an insert, such as a patient specific insert for controlling the energy, focus depth, and/or shape of the charged particle beam. Examples of inserts include a range shifter, a compensator, an aperture, a ridge filter, and a blank. Trays in a tray assembly are optionally retracted into an output nozzle of a charged particle cancer treatment system. Optionally and preferably, each tray communicates a held and positioned insert to a main controller of the charged particle cancer therapy system.

The invention comprises a system for determining the state of a charged particle beam, such as beam position, intensity, and/or energy. For example, the charged particle beam state is determined at or about a patient undergoing charged particle cancer therapy using one or more film layers designed to emit photons upon passage of a charged particle beam, which yields information on position and/or intensity of the charged particle beam. The emitted photons are used to calculate position of the treatment beam in imaging and/or during tumor treatment. Optionally and preferably, updating a tomography map uses the same hardware with the same alignment used for cancer therapy at proximately the same time.

The invention comprises an apparatus and method of use thereof for determining a charged particle beam state after passage through a final beam modification insert and prior to entering a patient, such as in cancer treatment or tomographic imaging. The insert comprises a range shifter, a known energy absorber, a ridge filter, a focal length altering insert, an aperture defining element, a compensator, and/or a patient specific beam modifier. The monitoring element comprises one or more sheets, configured to emit photons upon passage therethrough of the charged particle beam, where the emitted photons are detected, tested, such as against a predetermined cancer treatment plan, and/or used to aid in three dimensional tomographic image generation.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for treating a tumor of a patient with charged particles, comprising the step of developing a multi-modality treatment plan, the multi-modality treatment plan directing: (1) use of a first beam type to treat a first volume of the tumor, the first beam type a first mass per particle and (2) use of a second beam type to treat a second volume of the tumor, the second beam type comprising a second mass per particle, where the second mass per particle is at least ten percent different than the first mass per particle and the second volume differs from the first volume. The multi-modality treatment plan is optionally formed by selectively merging treatment plans using the respective particle types or is developed using properties of the multiple particle types.

A device may include a collimator positioned between a radiation source of a scanner and a bore of the scanner. The bore may include a detecting region configured to accommodate a subject. The collimator may be configured to prevent at least one portion of radiation rays emitted from the radiation source from being incident on the subject. The device may further include a first filter and a second filter. The first filter may be positioned between the radiation source and the collimator. The second filter may be positioned between the collimator and the bore. The first filter and the second filter may be configured to adjust a distribution of radiation impinging upon the subject.

Embodiments disclose an energy degrader for attenuating the energy of a charged particle beam, comprising a first energy attenuation member presenting a beam entry face having the shape of a part of a first helical surface, a second energy attenuation member presenting a beam exit face having the shape of a part of a second helical surface, the beam exit face being positioned downstream of said beam entry face with respect to the beam direction, and a drive assembly for rotating the first and/or the second energy attenuation members about respectively a first and/or a second rotation axis while crossed by the particle beam. The first and second helical surfaces are continuous surfaces and have the same handedness, to enable a more compact degrader with a smaller moment of inertia.

Provided is a particle beam treatment apparatus irradiating an irradiation target with a particle beam. The apparatus includes: an accelerator that generates the particle beam in an acceleration space; and an irradiation unit that virtually divides the irradiation target into a plurality of layers and irradiates each layer while performing scanning with the particle beam with a scanning electromagnet. The accelerator includes a particle generation unit generating particles that are to accelerate in the acceleration space, and the accelerator sets a parameter of the particle generation unit based on at least one of the layers of the irradiation target and adjusts an intensity of the particle beam based on the set parameter.

An example synchrocyclotron includes the following: a voltage source to provide a radio frequency (RF) voltage to a cavity to accelerate particles from a particle source; a coil to receive a variable electrical current and to generate a magnetic field that is at least 4 Tesla to cause the particles to move orbitally within the cavity; and an extraction channel to receive the accelerated particles and to output the received particles from the cavity. The particles that are output from the cavity have an energy that is variable based at least on the variable electrical current applied to the coil.

A radiotherapy equipment is provided. The radiotherapy equipment comprises at least two radiation apparatuses, the radiation apparatuses are configured to be capable of emitting radiation beams, the radiation beams emitted by at least two of the radiation apparatuses intersect at an intersection point, the radiation apparatuses are rotatable circumferentially about a rotation axis, and radiation positions of at least two of the radiation apparatuses are positioned at different cross-sections with respect to the rotation axis.