The invention comprises a method and apparatus for treating a tumor of a patient using positively charged particles, comprising the steps of: (1) providing an approved current version of a radiation treatment plan for treatment of the tumor using the positively charged particles; (2) implementing the current version of the radiation treatment plan using a cancer therapy system comprising a controller linked to a synchrotron; (3) upon identifying an object, using a set of fiducial indicators, in a treatment vector of the radiation treatment plan: generating a modified version of radiation treatment plan and receiving medical doctor approval of the modified version of the radiation treatment plan, the modified version of the radiation plan becoming the current version of the radiation treatment plan; and (4) repeating the steps of implementing and identifying until completion of treatment of the tumor using the positively charged particles.

The present disclosure relates to a new scan technique for particle radiation therapy that may be used for cancer treatment. One embodiment relates to a method of mitigating interplay effect in particle radiation therapy in a moving target including a period of movement, where the particle radiation therapy defines a planned dose in each spot of each layer of the moving target. The method comprising dividing the planned dose in each spot into a number of spot repaintings; and generating a scan pattern for each layer by defining a beam-on time at each spot for each spot repainting, and calculating a wait time between consecutive beam-on times to distribute the spot repaintings for each spot of a respective layer are distributed over a duration of an integer number of periods of movement.

A method of irradiating a target with a high power density irradiation beam is described. The method can use an irradiation system configured to output an irradiation beam through a vacuum window. The irradiation beam is scanned repetitively back and forth between two angular orientations of the irradiation beam as the irradiation beam strikes and traverses the vacuum window. The target is moved as the irradiation beam is scanned. The irradiation beam and the target are aligned. The scanning of the irradiations beam and the moving of the target are synchronized to each other. The scanning of the irradiation beam prevents localized overheating of the vacuum window and allows the irradiation beam to have a power density that would damage the vacuum window if the irradiation beam were not scanned.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for using a multi-layer multi-color scintillation based detector element to image a tumor of a patient using a process of determining residual energies of positively charged particles after passing through the patient, the process comprising the steps of: (1) transmitting the positively charged particles at known energies through the patient and into a multi-layer detector element; (2) detecting first and second secondary photons, resultant from passage of the positively charged particles, respectively from a first layer of a first scintillation material and a second layer of a second scintillation material at two respective layer depths, where the first wavelength range differs from the second wavelength range; (4) determining residual energies of the positively charged particles, using output from the step of detecting; and (5) relating the residual energies to body densities to generate an image.

A method of irradiating a target with a high power density irradiation beam is described. The method can use an irradiation system configured to output an irradiation beam through a vacuum window. The irradiation beam is scanned repetitively back and forth between two angular orientations of the irradiation beam as the irradiation beam strikes and traverses the vacuum window. The target is moved as the irradiation beam is scanned. The irradiation beam and the target are aligned. The scanning of the irradiations beam and the moving of the target are synchronized to each other. The scanning of the irradiation beam prevents localized overheating of the vacuum window and allows the irradiation beam to have a power density that would damage the vacuum window if the irradiation beam were not scanned.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for treating a tumor of a patient with positively charged particles, comprising the steps of: (1) transporting the positively charged particles sequentially from an accelerator, through a beam transport line, through a nozzle, and toward a position of the tumor; (2) treating the tumor with first particles, of the positively charged particles, where at least fifty percent of the first particles pass through a patient position, from the nozzle, to a post-patient position; and (3) detecting a beam position of the first particles in the post-patient position with a detector. The flash treatment preferably delivers the first particles at a rate exceeding one MHz.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for tuning a charged particle beam path of a charged particle beam system used to treat a tumor of a patient, comprising the steps of: positioning a two-dimensional charged particle detector in a beam line downstream from a magnet pair; operating windings of the magnet pair at a first power level to generate a first magnetic field; measuring a beam position with the first two-dimensional charged particle detector; adjusting a correction magnetic field by driving voltage of a correction coil at a second power level, the second power level less than five percent of the first power level, where the first magnetic field and the correction magnetic field combine to yield an operational magnetic field; and the steps of measuring and adjusting the correction magnetic field changing the operational magnetic field to adjust a measured beam position toward a target beam position.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for treating a tumor of a patient with positively charged particles, comprising the steps of transporting the positively charged particles along a beam transport path passing sequentially from an accelerator, through a beam transport line, through a nozzle, and toward a position of the patient, the step of transporting further comprising the steps of: (1) terminating a first Bragg peak, of a first set of the positively charged particles, in a position of the tumor and (2) flash treating the tumor with a second Bragg peak, of a second set of the positively charged particles, the second Bragg peak terminating post-patient relative to the nozzle. Optionally the second set of particles are delivered at a rate exceeding one MHz. Optionally, particles in common are used to both treat the tumor and image the tumor.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for tuning a charged particle beam path of a charged particle beam system used to treat a tumor of a patient, comprising the steps of: positioning a two-dimensional charged particle detector in a beam line downstream from a magnet pair; operating windings of the magnet pair at a first power level to generate a first magnetic field; measuring a beam position with the first two-dimensional charged particle detector; adjusting a correction magnetic field by driving voltage of a correction coil at a second power level, the second power level less than five percent of the first power level, where the first magnetic field and the correction magnetic field combine to yield an operational magnetic field; and the steps of measuring and adjusting the correction magnetic field changing the operational magnetic field to adjust a measured beam position toward a target beam position.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for using a multi-layer multi-color scintillation based detector element to image a tumor of a patient using a process of determining residual energies of positively charged particles after passing through the patient, the process comprising the steps of: (1) transmitting the positively charged particles at known energies through the patient and into a multi-layer detector element; (2) detecting first and second secondary photons, resultant from passage of the positively charged particles, respectively from a first layer of a first scintillation material and a second layer of a second scintillation material at two respective layer depths, where the first wavelength range differs from the second wavelength range; (4) determining residual energies of the positively charged particles, using output from the step of detecting; and (5) relating the residual energies to body densities to generate an image.