Treatment beam selection apparatus and method of use thereof

Abstract

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.

1 . A method for treating a tumor of a patient with charged particles, comprising the steps of:
 developing a multi-modality treatment plan, the multi-modality treatment plan directing:
 use of a first beam type to treat a first volume of the tumor, said first beam type comprising: (1) a first particle type and (2) a first mass per particle; and 
 use of a second beam type to treat a second volume of the tumor, said second beam type comprising: (1) a second particle type and (1) a second mass per particle, 
 the second mass per particle at least ten percent different than the first mass per particle, 
 the second volume differing from the first volume. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , the second volume overlapping the first volume. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , said step of developing said multi-modality treatment plan comprising the step of:
 merging a first treatment plan developed for use with the first beam type with a second treatment plan developed for use with the second beam type.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , said step of merging further comprising the step of:
 forming said multi-modality treatment plan using relative effectiveness, as a function of tumor volume position, of the first treatment plan and the second treatment plan.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the steps of:
 after treatment of the tumor is initiated with the first beam type and while the patient remains in a treatment room, imaging the patient with the first beam type;   updating the multi-modality treatment plan, to form an updated multi-modality treatment plan, using output of said step of imaging; and   after said step of updating, continuing treatment of tumor using the updated multi-modality treatment plan.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , said multi-modality treatment plan further directing:
 use of the first beam type to treat a first mean depth into the tumor; and   use of the second beam type to treat a second mean depth into the tumor, the first mean depth at least two millimeters further into the tumor than the second mean depth.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , said first particle type comprising H + , said second particle type comprising two to twelve protons per nucleus. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the step of:
 automatically updating the multi-modality treatment plan using imaging data acquired during a single treatment session of the patient, the patient not leaving a treatment room during the single treatment session.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , said step of developing the multi-modal treatment plan comprising use of:
 a first dispersion property of the first beam type; and   a second dispersion property of the second beam type.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , said first particle type comprising a first mass-to-charge ratio of one, said second particle type comprising a second mass-to-charge ratio of two. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , said first particle type comprising H +  and said second particle type comprising C 6+ . 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , said first particle type comprising H +  and said second particle comprising at least one of:
 an electron;   He 1+ ; and   He 2+ .   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 updating the multi-modality treatment plan using imaging data acquired after initiation of treatment of the tumor using the first particle type during a single treatment session of the patient, the patient not leaving a treatment room during the single treatment session.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising the steps of:
 accelerating both the first beam type and the second beam type with a single synchrotron; and   generating the imaging data using said single synchrotron.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , said multi-modality treatment plan further directing:
 use of using a third particle type comprising a third mass per particle, said third mass per particle at least ten percent different than the first mass per particle, said third mass per particle at least ten percent different than the second mass per particle.   
     
     
         16 . An apparatus for treating a tumor of a patient with charged particles, comprising:
 a cancer therapy system, comprising:
 a multi-modality treatment plan developed for use of a first particle type comprising a first mass per particle and a second particle type comprising a second mass per particle, the second mass per particle at least ten percent greater than the first mass per particle; 
 an accelerator configured to accelerate both the first particle type and the second particle type; and 
 a beam transport system configured to deliver, from said accelerator, the first particle type and the second particle type at least into the patient. 
   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , said accelerator further comprising:
 a synchrotron, said synchrotron configured to:
 accelerate the first particle type at a first time to treat a first mean depth of the tumor, the first particle type comprising an electron; and 
 accelerate the second particle type at a second time to treat a second mean depth of the tumor, the second particle type comprising a positively charged particle. 
   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , said accelerator further comprising:
 a synchrotron, the first particle type comprising two or fewer protons per nucleus, the second particle type comprising six or more protons per nucleus.   
     
     
         19 . A method for treating a tumor of a patient with charged particles, comprising the steps of:
 providing a multi-modality treatment plan, the multi-modality treatment plan comprising use of:
 a first particle type comprising a first mass per particle; and 
 a second particle type comprising a second mass per particle, said second mass per particle at least ten percent greater than said first mass per particle; 
   accelerating the first particle type and the second particle type using a single accelerator system; and   directing, according to the multi-modality treatment plan of a cancer therapy system, the first particle type and the second particle type at least into the patient using a beam transport system from said accelerator.