The invention comprises a method and apparatus for tracking and/or imaging impact of a particle beam treating a tumor using one or more imaging systems positionable about the tumor, such as a positron emission tracking and/or imaging system, where resulting tracking/imaging data: dynamically determines a treatment beam position, tracks a history of treatment beam positions, guides the treatment beam, and/or images a tumor before, during, and/or after treatment with the charged particle beam.

The disclosure provides systems and methods for adjusting a multi-leaf collimator (MLC). The MLC includes a plurality of cross-layer leaf pairs, each cross-layer leaf pair of the plurality of cross-layer leaf pairs includes a first leaf located in a first layer of leaves and a second leaf opposingly located in a second layer of leaves. For at least one cross-layer leaf pair, an effective cross-layer leaf gap to be formed between the first leaf and the second leaf may be determined; at least one of the first leaf or the second leaf may be caused to move to form the effective cross-layer leaf gap; and an in-layer leaf gap may be caused, based on the effective cross-layer leaf gap, to be formed between the first leaf and an opposing first leaf in the first layer. A size of the in-layer leaf gap may be no less than a threshold.

The disclosure provides systems and methods for adjusting a multi-leaf collimator (MLC). The MLC includes a plurality of cross-layer leaf pairs, each cross-layer leaf pair of the plurality of cross-layer leaf pairs includes a first leaf located in a first layer of leaves and a second leaf opposingly located in a second layer of leaves. For at least one cross-layer leaf pair, an effective cross-layer leaf gap to be formed between the first leaf and the second leaf may be determined; at least one of the first leaf or the second leaf may be caused to move to form the effective cross-layer leaf gap; and an in-layer leaf gap may be caused, based on the effective cross-layer leaf gap, to be formed between the first leaf and an opposing first leaf in the first layer. A size of the in-layer leaf gap may be no less than a threshold.

A scanning candidate route extracting unit which extracts plural candidates of scanning routes in which each of the scanning routes connects all spot positions in one layer is provided, in an evaluation function using necessary scanning time Tk and weight coefficient wk for a kth partial route among partial routes which are routes between the spot positions which are adjacent on one of the plural candidates of scanning routes, and number n of spot in the layer, wk with respect to a partial route which passes through affected tissue is set to be 1, wk with respect to a partial route which passes through normal tissue is set to be bigger than 1, and wk with respect to a partial route which passes through an important internal organ is set to be bigger than wk with respect to a partial route which passes through normal tissue.

To overcome the difficulties inherent in conventional proton therapy systems, new techniques are described herein for synchronizing the application of proton radiation with the periodic movement of a target area. In an embodiment, a method is provided that combines multiple rescans of a spot scanning proton beam while monitoring the periodic motion of the target area, and aligning the applications of the proton beam with parameters of the periodic motion. For example, the direction(s) and frequency of the periodic motion may be monitored, and the timing, dose rate, and/or scanning direction and spot sequence of the beam can be adjusted to align with phases in the periodic motion

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.

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.