Magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system and method suitable for long-target patient

Abstract

The invention provides a magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system and method suitable for a long-target-region patient, and belongs to the technical field of radiotherapy equipment control. The target area is divided into N sub-target areas. The first segment of sub-target region on-line radiotherapy process comprises the steps of scanning a positioning image, adjusting an MR scanning range, scanning an MR image on the day, registering the MR image with a reference plan image, selecting an adaptive mode, determining an on-line adaptive plan, and verifying and executing the plan. The online radiotherapy process of the nth sub-target region (n = 2, 3,..., N) comprises the steps of adjusting the MR scanning range, scanning the MR image of the reference plan on the current day, determining the reference plan on the current day, scanning the MR image again, registering the MR image with the MR image of the reference plan on the current day, selecting an adaptive mode, determining an online adaptive plan, carrying out pre-treatment synthesis evaluation, and verifying and executing the plan. The influence of MR scanning length limitation of the magnetic resonance accelerator is reduced by adjusting the MR scanning range, and the influence of radiation field length limitation of the magnetic resonance accelerator is reduced through the radiation field connection method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of radiotherapy equipment control, and in particular to a magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system and method suitable for patients with long target areas. Background Art

[0002] Magnetic resonance-guided adaptive radiotherapy technology can better protect organs at risk and reduce the incidence of complications. It has important clinical significance for improving tumor control rate and reducing toxic and side effects. Compared with traditional accelerators, magnetic resonance accelerators combine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging scanners with linear accelerators, and have excellent soft tissue contrast and functional imaging capabilities. Patients undergo MR scans before each treatment. Physicians adjust the delineation range of the target area and organs at risk in a timely manner according to the changes in tumor volume, position and morphology in MR images, and formulate online radiotherapy plans. Real-time MR imaging can be performed during MR-guided radiotherapy to display the movement of the target area, which is of great reference significance for physicians to judge whether the target area is off-target and whether the organs at risk are effectively protected. In addition, since MR is radiation-free, patients will not receive excess doses of irradiation during the acquisition of magnetic resonance images, which can reduce the risk of radiation-induced cancer.

[0003] However, current magnetic resonance accelerators have certain defects, and the number of patients they can treat is limited for two reasons: First, the MR image scanning length is limited. For example, Elekta's Unity magnetic resonance accelerator can only scan a maximum of 30cm of MR images. Considering the serious degradation of the quality of the border part of the MR image, its actual clear MR image is only about 25cm. Second, the length of the radiation field is limited, which is generally much smaller than that of conventional non-magnetic resonance accelerators. For example, the maximum radiation field length of Elekta's Unity magnetic resonance accelerator in the head and foot direction is 22cm, while the radiation field length of Elekta's Versa HD conventional accelerator can reach 40cm. In order to cope with anatomical changes and positioning errors during adaptive radiotherapy, magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy also needs to consider adding 1cm of external radiation range in the head and foot directions of the radiation field. Therefore, compared with conventional non-magnetic resonance accelerators, the length of the target area that can be treated by magnetic resonance accelerators is subject to certain restrictions. In fact, many patients have longer target areas, such as patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, patients with long esophageal cancer, and most patients with cervical cancer. During the treatment of these patients, the target area and organs at risk may change in size and position. If magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy technology can be used and the radiotherapy plan can be adjusted in time according to these changes, the best treatment effect can be ensured. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic resonance-guided radiation field connection system and method suitable for patients with long target areas, so as to solve at least one technical problem existing in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system suitable for patients with long target areas, comprising:

[0007] A division module is used to divide the target area into N sub-target areas: a first sub-target area, a second sub-target area, ... and an Nth sub-target area, and define N-1 radiation field connection areas in the area adjacent to each two sub-target areas;

[0008] A first determination module is used to perform MR scanning on the first sub-target area, register the same-day MR image of the first sub-target area with the reference plan image, select an adaptive mode, and determine an online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area;

[0009] A generation module is used to perform MR scanning on the nth sub-target area (n=2, 3, ..., N), adjust the MR scanning range, ensure that the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and obtain the reference plan MR image of the nth sub-target area on the day;

[0010] The second determination module is used to determine the reference plan for the day for the nth sub-target area based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area using the MR image of the day for the nth sub-target area; scan the MR image of the nth sub-target area again, align the new MR image with the reference plan MR image of the day, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the nth sub-target area.

[0011] Furthermore, an MR scan is performed on the first sub-target area, including: first, performing a positioning image scan; second, based on the positioning image scan result, the MR scanning center is moved, and the scanning range of the first sub-target area is adjusted to ensure that the first sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the first sub-target area and the second sub-target area, and part of the second sub-target area can be scanned; then, a same-day MR scan of the first sub-target area is performed.

[0012] Furthermore, for the first sub-target area, the MR image of the day is registered with the reference plan image, the adaptive mode is selected, the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area is determined, and the online dose verification software is used to verify the online adaptive plan for the first sub-target area. The plan is executed after the dose verification passes.

[0013] Furthermore, for the nth sub-target area (n=2, 3, ..., N), first, before adaptive radiotherapy of the nth sub-target area, move the MR scanning center and adjust the MR scanning range to ensure that the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and then perform MR scanning of the nth sub-target area to generate a reference plan image for the day; secondly, use the MR image of the nth sub-target area for the day and determine the reference plan for the nth sub-target area for the day based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area.

[0014] Furthermore, the treatment bed is moved to the radiotherapy center of the nth sub-target area, the MR image of the nth sub-target area is scanned again, the new MR image is registered with the reference plan MR image of the day, the adaptive mode is selected, and the online adaptive radiotherapy plan of the nth sub-target area is determined; a synthetic evaluation is performed on the online adaptive radiotherapy plans of the nth sub-target area and the n-1th sub-target area; the online dose verification software is used to verify the online adaptive plan of the nth sub-target area, and the plan is executed after the dose verification passes.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a magnetic resonance-guided radiation field connection method suitable for patients with long target areas based on the system as described in the first aspect, comprising:

[0016] The target area is divided into N sub-target areas: the first sub-target area, the second sub-target area, ... and the Nth sub-target area, and N-1 radiation field connection areas are defined in the area adjacent to each two sub-target areas;

[0017] Perform MR scanning on the first sub-target area, register the MR image of the first sub-target area on the same day with the reference plan image, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area;

[0018] For the nth sub-target area (n=2, 3, ..., N), the MR scanning range is adjusted to ensure that the nth sub-target area, the field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and the reference plan MR image of the nth sub-target area for the day is obtained;

[0019] Using the MR image of the nth sub-target area on the day, the reference plan of the nth sub-target area on the day is determined based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area;

[0020] Scan the MR image of the n-th sub-target area again, align the new MR image with the reference plan MR image of the day, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the n-th sub-target area.

[0021] Furthermore, an MR scan is performed on the first sub-target area, including: first, performing a positioning image scan; second, based on the positioning image scan result, the MR scanning center is moved, and the scanning range of the first sub-target area is adjusted to ensure that the first sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the first sub-target area and the second sub-target area, and part of the second sub-target area can be scanned; then, a same-day MR scan of the first sub-target area is performed.

[0022] Furthermore, for the first sub-target area, the MR image of the day is registered with the reference plan image, the adaptive mode is selected, the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area is determined, and the online dose verification software is used to verify the online adaptive plan for the first sub-target area. The plan is executed after the dose verification passes.

[0023] Furthermore, an MR scan is performed on the nth sub-target area (n=2, 3, ..., N). First, before adaptive radiotherapy of the nth sub-target area, the MR scanning center is moved and the MR scanning range is adjusted to ensure that the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and then an MR scan of the nth sub-target area is performed to generate a reference plan image for the day; secondly, the MR image of the nth sub-target area for the day is used to determine the reference plan for the nth sub-target area for the day based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area.

[0024] Furthermore, the treatment bed is moved to the radiotherapy center of the nth sub-target area, the MR image of the nth sub-target area is scanned again, the new MR image is registered with the reference plan MR image of the day, the adaptive mode is selected, and the online adaptive radiotherapy plan of the nth sub-target area is determined; a synthetic evaluation is performed on the online adaptive radiotherapy plans of the nth sub-target area and the n-1th sub-target area; the online dose verification software is used to verify the online adaptive plan of the nth sub-target area, and the plan is executed after the dose verification passes.

[0025] Furthermore, in order to improve the implementation efficiency, the present method designs the following synchronization steps: ① while performing "image registration of the n-1th sub-target area (n=2,3,...,N) and selecting the adaptive mode", "adjusting the MR scanning range of the nth sub-target area and scanning the reference plan MR image of the day" is performed; ② while executing "online adaptive planning of the n-1th sub-target area (n=2,3,...,N)", "determining the reference plan of the nth sub-target area for the day" is performed.

[0026] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the influence of the MR scanning length limitation of the magnetic resonance accelerator is reduced by moving the MR scanning center and adjusting the MR scanning range; the influence of the field length limitation of the magnetic resonance accelerator is reduced by a multi-isocenter field connection radiotherapy method; an online adaptive planning pre-treatment synthesis evaluation method for multiple sub-target areas is added to ensure the safety of radiotherapy; the online adaptive process of different sub-target areas is synchronized to improve the radiotherapy efficiency; and the length of the target area that can be treated for patients can be effectively increased.

[0027] Additional advantages of the present invention will be more clearly given in the following description or learned through the practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 The target area is divided into two sub-target areas: PTV_sub1 (green) and PTV_sub2 (blue), and a field overlap area PTV_overlap (red) is defined between the two sub-target areas.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of the MRI-guided long target dual isocenter radiation field connection radiotherapy method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The green part represents the reference plan design and dose verification process; the pink part represents the PTV_sub1 sub-target online adaptive radiotherapy process; and the blue part represents the PTV_sub2 sub-target online adaptive radiotherapy process.

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a method for adjusting the MR scanning range according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 It is the dose distribution and dose volume histogram (DVH) diagram of the PTV_sub1 target area in the online adaptive synthesis plan described in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 It is the dose distribution and dose volume histogram (DVH) diagram of the PTV_sub2 target area in the online adaptive synthesis plan described in the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below by the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present invention.

[0035] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention belongs.

[0036] It should also be understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be understood to have a meaning consistent with that in the context of the prior art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless as defined herein.

[0037] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, unless otherwise stated, the singular forms "a", "an", "said" and "the" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "comprising" used in the specification of the present invention refers to the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or groups thereof.

[0038] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. Different embodiments or examples described in this specification and features of different embodiments or examples may be combined and combined by those skilled in the art without contradiction.

[0039] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention is further explained below with reference to specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the specific embodiments do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] Those skilled in the art should understand that the drawings are merely schematic diagrams of embodiments, and the components in the drawings are not necessarily necessary for implementing the present invention.

[0041] In this embodiment, a magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system suitable for patients with long target areas is first provided, including: a division module, used to divide the target area into N sub-target areas, and define N-1 radiation field connection areas in the adjacent areas of every two adjacent sub-target areas; a first determination module, used to perform MR scanning on the first sub-target area, align the same-day MR image of the first sub-target area with the reference plan image, select an adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area; a generation module, used to perform MR scanning on the nth sub-target area (n=2, 3, ..., N), and adjust the MR scanning range , ensuring that the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and the reference plan MR image of the day for the nth sub-target area is obtained; the second determination module is used to use the MR image of the nth sub-target area on the day to determine the reference plan of the nth sub-target area on the day based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area; scan the MR image of the nth sub-target area again, align the new MR image with the reference plan MR image of the day, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the nth sub-target area.

[0042] In this embodiment, a magnetic resonance-guided long target area multi-isocenter radiation field connection radiotherapy method is implemented using the above system. The method divides the target area into N sub-target areas: a first sub-target area, a second sub-target area, ... and an Nth sub-target area. In the area adjacent to each two sub-target areas, N-1 radiation field connection areas are defined.

[0043] Before adaptive radiotherapy of the first sub-target area, MR image scanning is required, which specifically includes three steps: first, perform a positioning image scan; second, based on the positioning image scan results, move the MR scanning center and adjust the scanning range of the first sub-target area to ensure that the first sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the first sub-target area and the second sub-target area, and part of the second sub-target area can be scanned; then, perform a same-day MR scan of the first sub-target area. Adaptive radiotherapy of the first sub-target area includes the following steps: align the same-day MR image with the reference plan image, select the adaptive mode, design the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area, use the online dose verification software to verify the online adaptive plan for the first sub-target area, and execute the plan after the dose verification passes.

[0044] For the second and subsequent sub-target areas (assuming that the sub-target area that needs radiotherapy is the nth sub-target area (n = 2, 3..., N)), the adaptive radiotherapy process is as follows: First, before the adaptive radiotherapy of the nth sub-target area, the MR scanning center needs to be moved, the MR scanning range needs to be adjusted, and the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area need to be scanned. Then, the nth sub-target area is scanned by MR to generate the reference plan image for the day. Then, the reference plan MR image of the nth sub-target area for the day is used to design the reference plan for the nth sub-target area based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area. Secondly, the treatment bed is moved to the radiotherapy center of the nth sub-target area, the MR image of the nth sub-target area is scanned again, the new MR image is registered with the reference plan MR image of the day, the adaptive mode is selected, and the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the nth sub-target area is designed. Secondly, the online adaptive radiotherapy plan of the nth sub-target area and the n-1th sub-target area was synthetically evaluated. Finally, the online dose verification software was used to verify the online adaptive plan of the nth sub-target area, and the plan was executed after the dose verification passed.

[0045] Among them, in order to improve the implementation efficiency, the following synchronization steps are designed in this method: ① while performing "image registration of the n-1th sub-target area (n=2,3,...,N) and selecting the adaptive mode", "adjusting the MR scanning range of the nth sub-target area and scanning the reference plan MR image of the day" is performed; ② while executing "online adaptive planning of the n-1th sub-target area (n=2,3,...,N)", "determining the reference plan of the nth sub-target area for the day" is performed.

[0046] In this embodiment, the calculation formula for the treatable target area length is:

[0047]

[0048] Among them, L PTV is the maximum length of the treatable target volume PTV (head-to-foot direction), L is the maximum length of the target volume treatable by a single magnetic resonance accelerator (head-to-foot direction), N is the number of target segments (also the number of isocenters), l (n-1,n),overlap is the length of the field connection area between the n-1th sub-target area and the nth sub-target area (where n=2, .... N). L×N is the maximum length of the target area that can be treated by MR-guided radiotherapy when N different isocenter fields do not overlap. Table 1 lists the number of target area segments and isocenter settings required in the MR-guided field connection radiotherapy method, depending on the target area length.

[0049] Table 1

[0050] Target area length Number of target segments Number of isocenter settings ≤L 1 1 >L and ≤2L 2 2 >2L and ≤3L 3 3 >3L and ≤4L 4 4

[0051] For example, the maximum length of the target area that can be treated with a single field in the head-to-foot direction of Elekta's Unity accelerator is 20 cm (i.e., L = 20 cm). If the target area can be divided into two sections (i.e., N = 2), and the length of the connecting area l between the two sub-target fields is 5 cm, then the maximum length of the target area that can be treated (in the head-to-foot direction) is 35 cm.

[0052] Based on the Unity magnetic resonance accelerator of Elekta, the following uses an MR phantom as an example to demonstrate the specific implementation of the magnetic resonance guided beam field connection system and method. Figures 1 to 5 The method described in this embodiment is described in detail.

[0053] First, CT positioning of the MR phantom embodiment and scanning of CT images are performed to delineate the target area (PTV) and organs at risk. The delineation length of the MR phantom target area is 30 cm. Therefore, according to Table 1, this embodiment divides the PTV into two sub-target areas: the first sub-target area (PTV_sub1) and the second sub-target area (PTV_sub2). A field overlap area (PTV_overlap) is defined in the area adjacent to the two sub-target areas. The schematic diagram of the target area segmentation of the phantom embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 According to Table 1, this embodiment sets two radiotherapy isocenters, namely Iso_PTV_sub1 and Iso_PTV_sub2.

[0054] Secondly, the reference plan of PTV_sub1 was designed. Then, the reference plan of PTV_sub2 was designed based on the reference plan dose of PTV_sub1. After the plan design was completed, the dose of the two reference plans of PTV_sub1 and PTV_sub2 and the combined plan of the two were verified using the ArcCHECK-MR phantom.

[0055] In this embodiment, the radiotherapy process implemented using the above system and method is as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the online adaptive process specifically includes the following steps:

[0056] (1) Patient positioning: The technician positions the patient according to the PTV_sub1 radiotherapy plan center.

[0057] (2) MR scan (PTV_sub1): First, perform a locator scan; second, based on the locator scan result, move the MR scan center and adjust the MR scan range of PTV_sub1 to ensure that PTV_sub1, PTV_overlap, and part of PTV_sub2 can be scanned. Obtain the same-day MR image of PTV_sub1. The method for adjusting the MR scan range in this embodiment is as follows: Figure 3 shown.

[0058] (3) Image registration, structure delineation and mapping (PTV_sub1): Select the adaptive (ATS or ATP) mode. If the ATS mode is selected, the target area and structures such as organs at risk on the reference CT image are mapped to the same-day MR image of PTV_sub1 through deformable registration. The doctor delineates the target area and organs at risk and saves them. If the ATP mode is selected, the same-day MR image is rigidly registered with the reference CT image and saved.

[0059] (4) MR scan (PTV_sub2): While performing step (3), move the MR scan center to PTV_sub2 and adjust the scan range of PTV_sub2 to ensure that PTV_sub2, PTV_overlap, and part of PTV_sub1 can be scanned. Obtain the first set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the day (also the reference plan image on the day).

[0060] (5) Image registration, structure delineation and mapping (PTV_sub2): Select the adaptive ATS mode and map the target area and structures such as organs at risk on the reference CT image to the first set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the day through deformation registration. The doctor delineates the target area and organs at risk. The purpose of this step is to ensure that the target area PTV_sub2 and structures such as organs at risk can be mapped to the first set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the day, in preparation for the next steps (7) and (10).

[0061] (6) Online adaptive plan design and online dose verification (PTV_sub1): Design the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for PTV_sub1. After the plan design is completed and passed the clinical review, the plan is locked. The dose verification software ArcherQA is used to verify the dose of the online adaptive radiotherapy plan. After verification, the plan is executed.

[0062] (7) Same-day offline adaptive plan design (PTV_sub2): During the execution of the PTV_sub1 adaptive plan, the offline Monaco system was opened, and the first set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the day was used to design the reference plan for PTV_sub2 on the day based on the online adaptive radiotherapy dose of PTV_sub1.

[0063] (8) Patient positioning: The patient remains still, and the technician enters the accelerator room and moves the treatment bed to the center of the PTV_sub2 radiotherapy plan.

[0064] (9) MR scan (PTV_sub2): Adjust the scan range of PTV_sub2 to ensure that PTV_sub2, PTV_overlap, and part of PTV_sub1 can be scanned. Obtain the second set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the same day.

[0065] (10) Image registration, structure delineation and mapping (PTV_sub2): Select the adaptive (ATS or ATP) mode. If the ATS mode is selected, the target area and structures such as organs at risk on the first set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the same day are mapped to the second set of MR images on the same day through deformation registration. The doctor delineates the target area and organs at risk. If the ATP mode is selected, the second set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the same day are rigidly registered with the first set of MR images on the same day.

[0066] (11) Online adaptive plan design (PTV_sub2): Online adaptive radiotherapy plan design is designed using the second set of MR images of PTV_sub2 on the same day.

[0067] (12) Pre-treatment synthesis evaluation (PTV_sub1 and PTV_sub2) and online dose verification (PTV_sub2): Close the online Monaco system, open the offline Monaco system, and synthesize the online adaptive radiotherapy dose of PTV_sub1 and PTV_sub2. The doctor reviews the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for PTV_sub2 and the synthesized dose of PTV_sub1 and PTV_sub2 (the synthesized dose distribution is consistent with the DVH, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 After review, open the online Monaco system. Use the dose verification software ArcherQA to verify the dose of the PTV_sub2 online adaptive radiotherapy plan. After verification, execute the plan.

[0068] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware. Moreover, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0069] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0070] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0071] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, and a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0072] Although the above describes the specific implementation mode of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of the technical solution disclosed in the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system suitable for patients with long target areas, characterized in that: include: A division module is used to divide the target area into N sub-target areas: a first sub-target area, a second sub-target area, ... and an Nth sub-target area, and define N-1 radiation field connection areas in the area adjacent to each two sub-target areas; A first determination module is used to perform MR scanning on the first sub-target area, register the same-day MR image of the first sub-target area with the reference plan image, select an adaptive mode, and determine an online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area; A generation module is used to perform MR scanning on the nth sub-target area, adjust the MR scanning range, ensure that the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and obtain the reference plan MR image of the nth sub-target area on the day; wherein n=2,3,4...,N; The second determination module is used to determine the reference plan for the day for the nth sub-target area based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area using the MR image of the day for the nth sub-target area; scan the MR image of the nth sub-target area again, align the new MR image with the reference plan MR image of the day, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the nth sub-target area.

2. The magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system suitable for patients with long target areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: Performing MR scanning on the first sub-target area includes: first, performing a positioning image scan; second, based on the positioning image scan result, moving the MR scanning center and adjusting the scanning range of the first sub-target area to ensure that the first sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the first sub-target area and the second sub-target area, and part of the second sub-target area can be scanned; then, performing a same-day MR scan of the first sub-target area.

3. The magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system suitable for patients with long target areas according to claim 2, characterized in that: For the first sub-target area, align the MR image of the day with the reference plan image, select the adaptive mode, determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area, use the online dose verification software to verify the online adaptive plan for the first sub-target area, and execute the plan after the dose verification passes.

4. The magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system suitable for patients with long target areas according to claim 3, characterized in that: For the nth sub-target area, first, before adaptive radiotherapy of the nth sub-target area, move the MR scanning center and adjust the MR scanning range to ensure that the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and then perform MR scanning of the nth sub-target area to generate the reference plan image for the day; secondly, use the MR image of the nth sub-target area for the day and determine the reference plan for the nth sub-target area for the day based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area.

5. The magnetic resonance guided radiation field connection system suitable for patients with long target areas according to claim 4, characterized in that: Move the treatment bed to the radiotherapy center of the nth sub-target area, scan the MR image of the nth sub-target area again, align the new MR image with the reference plan MR image of the day, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the nth sub-target area; The online adaptive radiotherapy plans for the nth sub-target area and the n-1th sub-target area are synthetically evaluated; the online dose verification software is used to verify the online adaptive plan for the nth sub-target area, and the plan is executed after the dose verification passes.

6. A magnetic resonance-guided radiation field connection method for patients with long target volumes based on the system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: include: The target area is divided into N sub-target areas, and N-1 field connection areas are defined in the adjacent areas between every two adjacent sub-target areas; Perform MR scanning on the first sub-target area, register the MR image of the first sub-target area on the same day with the reference plan image, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area; Perform MR scanning on the nth sub-target area, adjust the MR scanning range, ensure that the nth sub-target area, the field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and obtain the reference plan MR image of the nth sub-target area on the day; wherein n = 2, 3, 4..., N; Using the MR image of the nth sub-target area on the day, the reference plan of the nth sub-target area on the day is determined based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area; Scan the MR image of the n-th sub-target area again, align the new MR image with the reference plan MR image of the day, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the n-th sub-target area.

7. The magnetic resonance-guided radiation field connection method for patients with long target volumes according to claim 6, characterized in that: Performing MR scanning on the first sub-target area includes: first, performing a positioning image scan; second, based on the positioning image scan result, moving the MR scanning center and adjusting the scanning range of the first sub-target area to ensure that the first sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the first sub-target area and the second sub-target area, and part of the second sub-target area can be scanned; then, performing a same-day MR scan of the first sub-target area.

8. The magnetic resonance-guided radiation field connection method for patients with long target volumes according to claim 7, characterized in that: For the first sub-target area, align the MR image of the day with the reference plan image, select the adaptive mode, determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the first sub-target area, use the online dose verification software to verify the online adaptive plan for the first sub-target area, and execute the plan after the dose verification passes.

9. The magnetic resonance-guided radiation field connection method for patients with long target volumes according to claim 8, characterized in that: For the nth sub-target area, first, before adaptive radiotherapy of the nth sub-target area, move the MR scanning center and adjust the MR scanning range to ensure that the nth sub-target area, the radiation field connection area between the nth sub-target area and its adjacent n-1th sub-target area, and part of the n-1th sub-target area are scanned, and then perform MR scanning of the nth sub-target area to generate the reference plan image for the day; secondly, use the MR image of the nth sub-target area for the day and determine the reference plan for the nth sub-target area for the day based on the adaptive radiotherapy dose of the n-1th sub-target area.

10. The magnetic resonance-guided radiation field connection method for patients with long target volumes according to claim 9, characterized in that: Move the treatment bed to the radiotherapy center of the nth sub-target area, scan the MR image of the nth sub-target area again, align the new MR image with the reference plan MR image of the day, select the adaptive mode, and determine the online adaptive radiotherapy plan for the nth sub-target area; The online adaptive radiotherapy plans for the nth sub-target area and the n-1th sub-target area are synthetically evaluated; the online dose verification software is used to verify the online adaptive plan for the nth sub-target area, and the plan is executed after the dose verification passes.

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