Boron concentration monitoring device, monitoring system and monitoring method in neutron therapy

Abstract

The invention discloses a boron concentration monitoring device, a monitoring system and a monitoring method in neutron therapy, and relates to the technical field of neutron therapy. A carrier with a circular plane is arranged, scintillator detectors with circular planes are arranged in an array in the carrier, and when an accelerator neutron source outputs neutron beams to irradiate a target, the scintillator detectors are arranged in the carrier; nuclear reaction is carried out on neutrons and boron in a target to generate gamma rays, and the scintillator detectors arranged in an array uniformly receive the gamma rays generated in the area reflecting the gamma rays in the whole neutron beam irradiation area without dead angles, so that dead zones which cannot be covered by a single detector when the single detector receives the gamma rays can be greatly reduced; and then the distribution of the boron concentration is determined by determining the scattering angle and energy of the gamma ray, and the optimal detection position is determined according to the distribution of the boron concentration at different positions, so that the optimal detection position can be quickly and accurately found, and the overall detection efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of neutron therapy, in particular to a device, a system and a method for monitoring boron concentration in neutron therapy. BACKGROUND

[0002] There are three main means for treating cancer at present, namely surgical treatment, chemotherapy and radiotherapy; among them, neutron therapy belongs to one of the radiotherapy; neutron therapy has new advantages compared with traditional radiotherapy while retaining the original mechanism, that is, it has higher targeting; it selectively enriches boron (B) compounds in tumor cells through specific affinity with tumor, and then irradiates the tumor tissue locally with low-energy neutrons, so that 10 B capture cross section is much larger than that of other elements 10 B captures neutrons to form a local nuclear reaction, and then splits to form an alpha particle and a ７ Li recoil nucleus; because the energy of the released alpha particle fragment is high and the range is short, the damage to the surrounding tissues of the tumor is small, and it can selectively kill tumor cells; it is a radiotherapy method combining neutron irradiation and 10 B; compared with the other two means, neutron therapy neither has high invasiveness and risk nor increases the risk of tumor metastasis, and also does not use drugs with serious side effects; therefore, neutron therapy has become a new research direction for people to treat cancer; but the biggest disadvantage of neutron therapy is that it will inevitably cause damage to normal tissues, so people have been pursuing and improving the irradiation dose in the tumor area while reducing the irradiation dose of normal tissues; in order to effectively kill tumor cells while minimizing damage to normal tissues, it is necessary to know the distribution of 10 B in the patient's body during neutron therapy, and to adjust the size of the neutron beam energy and the range of irradiation according to the uptake of 10 B concentration of tumor cells, to improve the control probability of tumors and reduce the side effects on normal tissues.

[0003] Currently, methods for monitoring boron concentration in patients include emission spectroscopy, high-resolution alpha autoradiography, charged particle energy spectroscopy, and neutron capture radiography. During neutron capture therapy, the nuclear reaction between neutrons and boron produces gamma rays with an energy of 0.478 MeV in 97% of cases. This energy can be used to determine the scattering angle and energy of the gamma rays, thus enabling the localization of the gamma rays and further determining the boron concentration distribution. Detecting the gamma rays produced during neutron therapy to determine the boron concentration distribution meets the requirements for boron concentration measurement. However, current detector deployment uses a single detector to detect boron concentration. The detection process is complex, and there are many dead zones within the coverage area, making it difficult for a single detector to uniformly detect the entire region. Furthermore, neutron interference exists in the radiation environment; if the optimal detection position cannot be accurately found, the measurement efficiency will be low. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a boron concentration monitoring device, system, and method for neutron therapy, which solves the problem in the prior art where a single detector is used to detect boron concentration. This is because the detection process is complex and there are many dead zones that are difficult to cover in the entire coverage area, making it difficult for a single detector to uniformly detect the entire area, resulting in low measurement efficiency.

[0005] This invention provides a boron concentration monitoring device for neutron therapy, comprising a light guide, one end of which is connected to a carrier, the carrier having an internal array of multiple scintillator detectors, the other end of which is connected to a photomultiplier tube, and the other end of which is connected to a voltage divider. A high-voltage power supply is connected between the optical guide and the voltage divider; The array of scintillator detectors receives gamma rays generated by the region reflecting gamma rays within the neutron beam irradiation area. The gamma rays are lost and deposited within the array of scintillator detectors, causing ionization and excitation of atoms in the scintillator. The excited atoms emit scintillator photons, which are guided by a light guide into the photocathode of a photomultiplier tube and eject photoelectrons. The photoelectrons are accelerated by the photomultiplier tube and eject more photoelectrons at the photoanode of the photomultiplier tube. The signal is then output through a voltage divider. By analyzing the electrical signal, the scattering angle, scattering energy, and boron concentration distribution of the gamma rays are obtained, and the optimal detection position is determined based on the boron concentration distribution.

[0006] Preferably, the vehicle is circular in shape.

[0007] Preferably, the scintillator detector is planar circular in shape, and the scintillator detector is arrayed within a planar circular carrier.

[0008] Preferably, the neutron beam is formed by the reaction of protons emitted from a proton accelerator with low atomic number matter to produce neutrons from an accelerator neutron source.

[0009] Preferably, the scintillation photons output by the scintillator detector to the photomultiplier tube are divided into two types: fast and slow, which are 3ns and 270ns, respectively.

[0010] Preferably, the scintillator detector uses a polystyrene plastic scintillator.

[0011] This invention also provides a boron concentration monitoring system for neutron therapy, including the aforementioned boron concentration monitoring device for neutron therapy, the system further comprising: A data acquisition unit is connected between the photoconductor and the voltage divider. The data acquisition unit is used to acquire the current waveform output by the scintillator detector array under neutron beam irradiation. A data processing system, connected to the data acquisition unit, is used to identify the distribution of neutrons and gamma rays in the output current waveform.

[0012] This invention also provides a method for monitoring boron concentration distribution in a boron concentration monitoring system during neutron therapy, comprising the following steps: The scintillator detector array receives gamma rays generated by the region reflecting gamma rays in the entire neutron beam irradiation area, and outputs a current waveform diagram through the data acquisition unit to identify the distribution of neutrons and gamma rays in the current waveform diagram. The distribution of neutrons and gamma rays in the current waveforms output from different locations was collected by arranging scintillator detector arrays at different locations. The distributions of neutrons and gamma rays at different locations were fused using the multi-Bayes estimation method to determine the locations with a high proportion of gamma rays. A scintillator detector array was then deployed at these locations, and the current waveforms output under the illumination environment were collected. Based on the distribution of gamma rays in the current waveforms, the boron concentration distribution was imaged to obtain the boron concentration distribution.

[0013] This invention provides a boron concentration monitoring device, monitoring system, and monitoring method for neutron therapy. Compared with the prior art, its advantages are as follows: This invention utilizes a planar circular carrier and an array of planar circular scintillator detectors within the carrier. When the neutron beam from the accelerator neutron source irradiates the target, boron in the neutron target undergoes a nuclear reaction, generating gamma rays. The array of scintillator detectors uniformly and without blind spots receives gamma rays from the areas reflecting gamma rays within the entire neutron beam irradiation region. This significantly reduces dead zones that a single detector cannot cover when receiving gamma rays. Furthermore, by determining the scattering angle and energy of the gamma rays, the boron concentration distribution is determined. Based on the boron concentration distribution at different locations, the optimal detection position can be determined, allowing for quick and accurate location of the optimal detection position, thereby greatly improving the overall detection efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Fig. 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a boron concentration monitoring device in neutron therapy provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the boron concentration distribution monitoring method in neutron therapy provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 This is a schematic diagram of the actual layout of a boron concentration monitoring system in neutron therapy provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the signal function of a boron concentration monitoring device in neutron therapy, provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The components are: 1. Carrier, 2. Scintillator detector, 3. Light guide, 4. Photomultiplier tube, and 5. Voltage divider. Detailed Implementation

[0015] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0016] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0017] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0018] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0019] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0020] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0021] See Figs. 1-4 This invention provides a boron concentration monitoring device for neutron therapy, comprising a carrier 1, a scintillator detector 2, a light guide 3, a photomultiplier tube 4, and a voltage divider 5.

[0022] The boron concentration distribution monitoring system of this invention includes: a scintillator detector device, a high-voltage power supply, control software, a data acquisition system, and a computer, comprising the following components: S1: Combine scintillator detectors to form a scintillator detector array.

[0023] S2: Place the scintillator detector array at the measurement location and connect it to the high-voltage power supply and data acquisition system.

[0024] S3: Acquire measurement data from the scintillator detector array.

[0025] S4: Save the detected data and move the position of the scintillator detector array.

[0026] S5: Repeat S1~S4.

[0027] S6: Perform data fusion analysis on the results obtained from all directions to determine the optimal placement location for the online monitoring equipment.

[0028] The boron concentration distribution monitoring method of this invention includes the following steps: Step 1: Design a scintillator detector array to distinguish between gamma rays and neutrons in a neutron therapy environment.

[0029] Step 2: Collect the measurement results of the scintillator detector array.

[0030] Step 3: Perform data optimization and analysis on each data point in the scintillator detector array.

[0031] Step 4: Identify locations with high gamma ray concentrations and deploy online boron concentration monitoring equipment.

[0032] Step 5: Image the boron concentration distribution using online monitoring equipment to obtain real-time information on the distribution of boron in the human body.

[0033] For a single scintillator detector used to identify neutrons and gamma rays in a therapeutic environment, the scintillator material selected is an EJ276 plastic scintillator. The scintillator part is a polystyrene plastic scintillator with a diameter of 2cm and a length of 2cm. This scintillator has excellent physical hardness and can maintain optical properties and chemical stability for a long time. It has strong neutron and gamma ray identification capabilities and high accuracy, and is widely used in optical imaging and radiation monitoring fields. The remaining parts are: a light guide 3, a photomultiplier tube 4, and corresponding electronic instruments.

[0034] Designing the scintillator detector 2 array as a planar circular shape can reduce the impact of edge effects on detector performance, providing a more uniform detector distribution and resulting in more even coverage of the target area; reducing the spacing between detectors improves the detection sensitivity and accuracy of the target area; and it requires less space, which reduces the space requirements for the application and facilitates installation and layout; the circular array design can reduce dead zones between detectors, i.e., areas that cannot be covered; compared with other array shapes, it can minimize dead zones and improve the coverage of the entire area to the greatest extent.

[0035] The detection system consists of a data acquisition section, a data recording section, and a data processing section. The data acquisition section is located at the front end of the entire system and mainly consists of a scintillator detector. During detection, a high-voltage power supply is connected to the data acquisition unit between the light guide 3 and the voltage divider 5, respectively. Then, the information acquired by the data acquisition section is output to a computer for storage and analysis. Since the light output components of the plastic scintillator used in the scintillator detector 2 are divided into two types, fast and slow, approximately 3ns and 270ns respectively, and the speed of the light output is determined by the type of irradiated particles, neutrons and gamma rays can be identified by analyzing the current waveform output by the scintillator detector 2 under the irradiation environment.

[0036] After data collection is completed, the data is fused using the multi-Bayes estimation method to avoid monitoring failures or large deviations in some detection results, which would affect the detection values. The deployed scintillator detector array system can quickly identify the distribution of neutrons and rays over a wide range in the environment and effectively determine the direction suitable for placing online monitoring equipment, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of online monitoring.

[0037] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring boron concentration in neutron therapy, characterized by, It comprises: a light guide (3) having one end connected with a carrier (1), the inside of the carrier (1) being provided with a plurality of scintillator detectors (2) arranged in an array, the other end of the light guide (3) being connected with a photomultiplier tube (4), the other end of the photomultiplier tube (4) being connected with a voltage divider (5); a high-voltage power supply connected between the light guide (3) and the voltage divider (5); wherein the arrayed scintillator detectors (2) receive the gamma rays generated by the region reflecting gamma rays in the entire neutron beam irradiation region, the gamma rays are lost and deposited in the arrayed scintillator detectors (2), causing ionization and excitation of atoms in the scintillator, the excited atoms emit scintillation photons, the scintillation photons are injected into the photocathode of the photomultiplier tube (4) through the light guide (3) and knock out photoelectrons, the photoelectrons knock out more photoelectrons at the anode of the photomultiplier tube (4) under the accelerated motion of the photomultiplier tube (4), and generate an electrical signal output through the voltage divider (5), the scattering angle, scattering energy and boron concentration distribution of the gamma rays are obtained by analyzing the electrical signal, and the optimal detection position is determined according to the boron concentration distribution.

2. The device for monitoring boron concentration in neutron therapy according to claim 1, wherein The carrier (1) is in the shape of a planar circle.

3. The device for monitoring boron concentration in a neutron therapy according to claim 2, wherein The scintillator detector (2) is in the shape of a planar circle, and the scintillator detector (2) is arranged in an array in the planar circular carrier (1).

4. The device for monitoring boron concentration in neutron therapy according to claim 1, wherein The neutron beam is obtained by reacting protons emitted by a proton accelerator with low-atomic-number matter in a proton accelerator neutron source, i.e., forming a neutron beam.

5. The device for monitoring boron concentration in neutron therapy according to claim 1, wherein The scintillation photons output from the scintillator detector (2) to the photomultiplier tube (4) are divided into fast and slow types, with a time of 3ns and 270ns, respectively.

6. The device for monitoring boron concentration in neutron therapy according to claim 1, wherein The scintillator detector (2) uses polystyrene plastic scintillator.

7. A system for monitoring boron concentration in neutron therapy, characterized by The system further comprises: a data collector connected between the light guide (3) and the voltage divider (5), the data collector being used to collect the current waveform diagram output by the scintillator detector (2) array in the neutron beam irradiation environment; a data processing system connected with the data collector, the data processing system being used to identify the distribution of neutrons and gamma rays in the output current waveform diagram.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the boron concentration distribution monitoring system is a neutron therapy system. It comprises the following steps: The scintillator detector (2) array receives the gamma rays generated by the region reflecting gamma rays in the entire neutron beam irradiation region, and outputs a current waveform diagram through a data collector, and the distribution of neutrons and gamma rays in the current waveform diagram is identified; The scintillator detector (2) array is arranged at different positions, and the distribution of neutrons and gamma rays in the current waveform diagram output at different positions is collected; The distributions of neutrons and gamma rays at different positions are fused by using a multi-Bayesian estimation method, the position with a high proportion of gamma rays is determined, the scintillator detector (2) array is arranged at this position, the current waveform diagram output at this position in the irradiation environment is collected, the boron concentration distribution is imaged according to the distribution of gamma rays in the current waveform diagram, and the boron concentration distribution is obtained.

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