Systems, devices, and methods for dosimetric verification of radiation therapy treatments by selective evaluation of measurement points. Systems, methods, and computer program-products for providing dosimetric verification of radiation therapy treatments by evaluating measurement points using different evaluation criteria.

Provided is a quality management system for a radiation therapy apparatus. The quality management system includes: an input/output unit displaying selectable quality management items; a quality management order error determining unit determining whether there is an error in the order of the quality management items that are selected and arranged by the input/output unit; and a quality management execution control unit performing control such that quality management is executed in the order of the quality management items that are determined by the quality management order error determining unit to have no error in the arrangement order thereof.

A system includes acquisition of a first three-dimensional image of a patient volume using a magnetic resonance imaging scanner, acquisition of a second three-dimensional image of the patient volume using cone beam radiation emitted by the linear accelerator, and generation of a radiation treatment plan based on the first image and the second image.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus for imaging and treating a tumor of a patient using positively charged particles and X-rays. A mounting rail, supporting a scintillation detection system element and an X-ray detection system element, is alternatingly extended/retracted to position the required detection system element opposite a patient tumor position from an exit nozzle of a beam transport system connected to an accelerator of the positively charged particles, where the positively charged particles are alternatingly used to treat the tumor via irradiation. The mounting rail optionally rotates with rotation of the exit nozzle about the patient, such as with rotation of a support gantry.

A portal imaging device is used to determine an amount of radiation that is delivered to at least one point while administering a radiation treatment therapy to a patient. Upon detecting that the amount of radiation that is delivered to that at least one point exceeds a predetermined amount of radiation (for example, a planned amount of radiation per the radiation treatment plan), administration of radiation treatment therapy to the patient can be automatically halted.

The invention comprises a patient specific tray insert removably inserted into a tray frame to form a beam control tray assembly, which is removably inserted into a slot of a tray receiver assembly proximate a gantry nozzle of a charged particle cancer treatment system. Optionally, multiple tray inserts, each used to control a different beam state parameter, are inserted into corresponding slots of the tray receiver assembly where the multiple inserts are used to control beam intensity, shape, focus, and/or energy. The beam control tray assembling includes an identifier, such as an electromechanical identifier, of the particular insert type, which is communicated to a main controller, such as via the tray receiver assembly along with slot position and/or patient information.

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.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for rapidly delivering high doses of radiation, also known as, flash dose radiotherapy or flash radiotherapy. One variation of a system for flash radiotherapy has a plurality of therapeutic radiation sources on a support structure (e.g., a gantry or arm) and configured to toward a patient target region, and a controller in communication with all of the therapeutic radiation sources. The controller is configured to activate the plurality of therapeutic radiation sources simultaneously so that the patient target region rapidly receives a high dose of radiation, e.g. the entire prescribed dose of radiation. In some variations, a flash radiotherapy system has a pulsed, high-power source that may be used to generate an X-ray pulse that delivers a dose having a dose rate from about 7.5 Gy/s to about 70 Gy/s. Flash radiotherapy systems may also include one or more imaging systems mounted on the support structure.