The present invention relates to linear, straight through electron beam machines that incorporate a rotary coupling system to easily attach and manually or automatically rotate field defining members such as applicators and/or shields to the electron beam machines. The rotary coupling systems also incorporate functionality for using different kinds of optical signals to automatically provide illumination, reference mark projection, and/or distance detection. The optical signals generated downstream from heavy collimator components and are transmitted along the central axis of the field defining elements so that function and accuracy are maintained as the components rotate.

Described herein are systems and methods for positioning a radiation source with respect to one or more regions of interest in a coordinate system. Such systems and methods may be used in emission guided radiation therapy (EGRT) for the localized delivery of radiation to one or more patient tumor regions. These systems comprise a gantry movable about a patient area, where a plurality of positron emission detectors, a radiation source are arranged movably on the gantry, and a controller. The controller is configured to identify a coincident positron annihilation emission path and to position the radiation source to apply a radiation beam along the identified emission path. The systems and methods described herein can be used alone or in conjunction with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or brachytherapy for the treatment of tumors.

A beam shaping assembly for neutron capture therapy includes a beam inlet, a target having nuclear reaction with an incident proton beam from the beam inlet to produce neutrons forming a neutron beam, a moderator adjoining to the target, a reflector surrounding the moderator, a thermal neutron absorber adjoining to the moderator, a radiation shield arranged inside the beam shaping assembly and a beam outlet. The material of the moderator is subjected to a powder sintering process using a powder sintering device so as to change powders or a power compact into blocks. The reflector leads the neutrons deviated from the main axis back. The thermal neutron absorber is used for absorbing thermal neutrons so as to avoid overdosing in superficial normal tissue during therapy. The radiation shield is used for shielding leaking neutrons and photons so as to reduce dose of the normal tissue not exposed to irradiation.

Disclosed herein is a method of characterising physical properties of an attenuating element in a radiotherapy device having a radiotherapy radiation source and a radiotherapy radiation detector on respective sides of the attenuating element. The method comprises obtaining an average detected radiotherapy radiation intensity at two or more locations around the attenuating element, comparing the detected intensity at one location with the average intensity, and characterising a corresponding physical property based on the comparison.

The present relates to a device for providing a radiation treatment to a patient comprising:—an electron source for providing a beam of electrons, and—a linear accelerator for accelerating said beam until a predetermined energy, and—a beam delivery module for delivering the accelerated beam from said linear accelerator toward the patient to treat a target volume with a radiation dose, The device further comprises intensity modulation means configured to modulate the distribution of the radiation dose in the target volume according to a predetermined pattern. The pattern is determined to match the dimensions of a target volume of at least about 50 cm.sup.3, and/or a target volume located at least about 5 cm deep in the tissue of the patient with said radiation dose, The radiation dose distributed is up to about 20 Gy delivered during an overall treatment time less than about 50 ms.

Described are devices, systems, and methods for modulating the spectral energy distribution produced by an x-ray source via control of the energy of the x-ray-generating electron beam, e.g., for energy-modulated radiation therapy or other purposes. In some embodiments, such energy modulation is achieved by an add-on device to a linear accelerator. Also disclosed are computational methods and computer program products for planning energy-modulated therapy.

Described are devices, systems, and methods for modulating the spectral energy distribution produced by an x-ray source via control of the energy of the x-ray-generating electron beam, e.g., for energy-modulated radiation therapy or other purposes. In some embodiments, such energy modulation is achieved by an add-on device to a linear accelerator. Also disclosed are computational methods and computer program products for planning energy-modulated therapy.

A treatment planning system for generating a plan for treatment by radiation with charged particles beams applied by pencil beam scanning onto a target tissue comprising tumoral cells is provided. The treatment planning system performs a dose definition stage defining the doses to be deposited within the peripheral surface, a beam definition stage defining positions and dimensions of the beamlets of the PBS during the at least one high rate fraction, the beams definition stage including a dose rate definition stage comprising at least one high rate fraction, and a beamlets scanning sequence stage defining a scanning sequence of irradiation of the beamlets. The beamlets scanning sequence stage optimizes a time sequence of beamlets emission such that at the end of a fraction j, a dose is deposited onto at least a predefined fraction of each specific volume at a mean deposition rate superior or equal to a predefined value.

The dose rate of voxels within a particle beam (e.g., proton beam) treatment field delivered using pencil beam scanning (PBS) is calculated, and a representative dose rate for the particle beam treatment field is reported. The calculations account for a dose accumulation in a local region or a sub-volume (e.g., a voxel) as a function of time.

Provided is a neutron beam transmission adjusting device including a neutron beam transmission unit including a neutron reactant and capable of modulating an energy and/or a flux of a neutron beam transmitted through the neutron beam transmission unit.