Guided charged particle imaging/treatment apparatus and method of use thereof

Abstract

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.

1 . A method for treating a tumor of a patient using a treatment beam, comprising the steps of:
 transporting positively charged particles, of the treatment beam, from an accelerator to the tumor using a beam transport system, the charged particles sequentially resultant in formation of a radioactive nuclei in the tumor, positron emission from the radioactive nuclei, electron positron annihilation, and gamma ray emission;   providing a dynamic treatment beam positioning system comprising a set of detectors and a controller;   detecting the gamma ray emission using said set of detectors;   said controller, using output of said set of detectors:
 determining a corresponding source voxel of the gamma ray emission; 
 comparing position of said source voxel to a target voxel; 
 generating a feedback signal to said beam transport system; and 
 dynamically adjusting state of subsequent positively charged particles of the treatment beam using the feedback signal. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 positioning a first detector and a second detector, of said set of detectors, on opposite sides of the patient.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
 moving said set of detectors toward an exit nozzle of said beam transport system to monitor a first depth of penetration of the treatment beam into the tumor; and   moving said set of detectors away from said exit nozzle to monitor a second depth of penetration of the treatment beam into the tumor, the second depth of penetration larger than the first depth of penetration.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the step of:
 said controller positioning said set of detectors as a function of energy of the treatment beam.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
 translating said first detector and said second detector past the patient; and   imaging the tumor during said step of translating.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , said step of imaging further comprising the steps of:
 subsequent to a treatment session of the tumor using the treatment beam, generating a first positron emission tomography image of the tumor using ongoing gamma ray emission resultant from ongoing decay of the radioactive nuclei.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , said step of imaging further comprising the steps of:
 subsequent to said step of generating the first positron emission tomography image and prior to the patient departing from a treatment position used in the treatment session, generating a second positron emission tomography image of the tumor using ongoing gamma ray emission resultant from ongoing decay of the radioactive nuclei; and   comparing the second positron emission tomography image to the first positron emission tomography image.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising the step of:
 generating at least one two-dimensional X-ray image of the patient while the patient remains in the treatment position used in the treatment session.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
 forming a hybrid positron emission tomography-X-ray tomography image of an original tumor position of the tumor.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2 , said step of detecting further comprising the step of:
 detecting gamma ray emission resultant from an atom irradiated in said step of transporting, the radioactive decay of the atom comprising a half-life of less than two minutes.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , the radioactive decay of the atom comprising a half-life of less than thirty seconds. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of:
 determining a current treatment voxel through detection of gamma rays from a voxel not previously emitting gamma rays in a current treatment session of the tumor.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , said step of determining a current treatment voxel further comprising the step of:
 determining the current treatment voxel on a first axis with a first pair of gamma ray detectors of said set of detectors; and   determining the current treatment voxel on a second axis with a second pair of gamma ray detectors of said set of detectors, the first axis and the second axis forming an angle of greater than forty degrees.   
     
     
         14 . An apparatus for treating a tumor of a patient using a treatment beam, comprising:
 a beam transport system configured to transport positively charged particles, of the treatment beam, from an accelerator to a patient positioning system, the charged particles sequentially resultant in formation of radioactive nuclei in the tumor, positron emission from the isotope, electron positron annihilation, and gamma ray emission; and   a dynamic treatment beam positioning system, comprising:
 a set of detectors configured to detect the gamma ray emission; 
 a controller, said controller:
 configured to determine a corresponding source voxel of the gamma ray emission; 
 compare position of the source voxel to a target voxel; and 
 generate a feedback signal to said beam transport system, said feedback signal used to dynamically adjust state of subsequent positively charged particles of the treatment beam. 
 
   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , said dynamic treatment beam positioning system further comprising:
 a first mount mounting a first detector of said set of detectors on a first side of the tumor during use; and   a second mount mounting a second detector of said set of detectors on a second side of the tumor during use, the first side and the second side on opposite sides of the tumor.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , said set of detectors further comprising:
 a first array of detectors positioned on a first side of a beam path of the treatment beam during use; and   a second array of detectors positioned on a second side of the beam path during use, the beam path between the first side and the second side.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , said set of detectors further comprising:
 an arc of gamma ray emission detectors circumferentially positioned about the patient positioning system.