Radiotherapy planning optimization method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to radiation therapy plan optimization methods and apparatus. Control circuitry accesses patient geometry information including at least one target volume, and radiation therapy device geometry information for a particular radiation therapy device, and radiation direction field geometry setting parameters including at least one field geometry setting having at least one gantry angle, at least one couch angle, and at least one isocenter position. The control circuitry can then automatically determine multileaf collimator (MLC) plane field geometry setting parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, followed by optimization of the radiation therapy plan according to the MLC plane field geometry setting parameters to provide an optimized radiation therapy plan.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] These teachings broadly relate to using energy to treat a patient's target volume according to an energy-based treatment plan, and more specifically to optimizing an energy-based treatment plan. Background Technology

[0002] The use of energy to treat medical conditions encompasses the known areas of current technological efforts. For example, radiation therapy is a crucial component of many treatment programs aimed at reducing or eliminating unwanted tumors. Unfortunately, the applied energy cannot inherently distinguish between unwanted material and adjacent tissues, organs, etc., which are desired, or even essential, for the patient's continued survival. Therefore, energy, such as radiation, is usually applied cautiously, with an attempt to at least confine the energy to a given target volume. So-called radiation therapy programs typically function in this regard.

[0003] A radiotherapy plan typically includes specified values ​​for each of the various treatment platform parameters during each of multiple consecutive radiation fields. Treatment plans for radiotherapy courses are often automatically generated through a process known as optimization. As used herein, "optimization" will be understood as improving candidate treatment plans without necessarily ensuring that the optimized result is, in fact, the only optimal solution. This optimization typically involves automatically adjusting one or more physical therapy parameters (usually while observing one or more corresponding limits in these aspects) and mathematically calculating possible corresponding treatment outcomes (such as dosing levels) to identify a given set of treatment parameters that represents a good trade-off between desired therapeutic outcomes and the avoidance of undesirable side effects.

[0004] Radiation therapy planning typically involves initially setting up radiation fields such that these fields will allow for maximum dose coverage of the target structures with minimal negative characteristics, such as administration to abnormal tissues and / or overtreatment time, while also considering the physical limitations of the radiation therapy machine itself. Setting up these radiation fields is, at least to some extent, a geometric problem. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In one or more embodiments, a method for optimizing a radiotherapy plan for a specific patient using a specific radiotherapy apparatus having a radiation source is disclosed. The method includes: accessing patient geometry information including at least one target volume by a control circuit; accessing radiotherapy apparatus geometry information of the specific radiotherapy apparatus; accessing radiation direction field geometry parameters including at least one field geometry having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle, and at least one isocenter position; automatically determining multi-leaf collimator MLC plane field geometry parameters for the at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field; and optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC plane field geometry parameters to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0006] In one or more embodiments, an apparatus for optimizing a radiotherapy plan for a specific patient using a specific radiotherapy apparatus having a radiation source is disclosed. The apparatus includes: control circuitry configured to: access patient geometry including at least one target volume; access radiotherapy apparatus geometry information for the specific radiotherapy apparatus; access radiation direction field geometry parameters including at least one field geometry having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle, and at least one isocenter position; automatically determine multi-leaf collimator (MLC) plane field geometry parameters for the at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field; and optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC plane field geometry parameters to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan. Attached Figure Description

[0007] The radiotherapy planning optimization method and apparatus described in the following specific embodiments, especially when studied in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, at least partially meet various needs, wherein:

[0008] Figure 1 Including block diagrams configured according to various embodiments of these teachings;

[0009] Figure 2 Includes flowcharts of various embodiments configured according to these teachings;

[0010] Figure 3 Including illustrative representations configured according to at least some prior art methods; and

[0011] Figure 4 This includes illustrative representations of various embodiments configured in accordance with these teachings.

[0012] The elements in the accompanying drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the size and / or relative positioning of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid in understanding the various embodiments of this teaching. Furthermore, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in commercially viable embodiments are generally not depicted to facilitate a less obstructive view of these various embodiments of this teaching. Certain actions and / or steps may be described or depicted in a particular sequence of occurrence, and those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity relative to the sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning that those skilled in the art described above would assign to such terms and expressions, unless otherwise stated herein with a different specific meaning. Unless otherwise specifically indicated, the word “or” as used herein should be interpreted as having a disjunctive construction rather than a conjunctive construction. Detailed Implementation

[0013] Generally, these different embodiments can optimize radiotherapy plans for specific patients using specific radiotherapy devices with radiation sources. One method involves control circuitry accessing patient geometry including at least one target volume, radiotherapy device geometry for the specific radiotherapy device, and radiation direction field geometry parameters including at least one field geometry having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle, and at least one isocenter position. The control circuitry can then automatically determine the multi-leaf collimator (MLC) plane field geometry parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, and then optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC plane field geometry parameters to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan. Another method involves the aforementioned "field" comprising an arcuate field.

[0014] One method may be used to include a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, which may include a single automated dual-field setting for each isocenter.

[0015] A method for automatically determining MLC planar field geometry parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field may include: using a single automated multi-field setting for each isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting, the isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting including at least one starting rack angle and at least one ending rack angle.

[0016] A method for automatically determining at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field may include: generating at least partially overlapping arcuate field pairs in angular space, the arcuate field pairs having field opening limiting apertures configured to cover the target volume.

[0017] A method for automatically determining MLC planar field geometry parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field may include at least partially dividing the multi-field settings between treatment sections, such that only one field pair and one corresponding collimator angle setting are used at a time to produce dose results in each treatment section. In this case, optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry parameters, if desired, may include allowing the use of all geometric degrees of freedom for a particular radiotherapy device, including multi-leaf collimator leaf angles relative to structural boundaries.

[0018] Alternatively, these teachings can be adapted to user-input values ​​for accessing the collimator angle. In this case, optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry settings could include optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on user-input values ​​for both the MLC planar field geometry settings and the collimator angle.

[0019] Instead of the foregoing, these teachings will also be adapted to automatically determine at least one collimator angle to provide at least one automatically determined collimator angle. In this case, optimizing a radiotherapy plan based on MLC planar field geometry settings parameters may include optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on MLC planar field geometry settings parameters and at least one automatically determined collimator angle.

[0020] However, it should be noted that these instructions will be adapted to user input values ​​that do not access the field opening settings of the MLC plane itself.

[0021] These instructions will also be optionally adapted to administer therapeutic radiation to specific patients according to an optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0022] In one method, these teachings may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a computer program that includes instructions, when executed by a computer, to access patient geometry information including at least one target volume and radiotherapy device geometry information for a specific radiotherapy device and radiation direction field geometry parameters including at least one field geometry having at least one gantry angle, one treatment bed angle, and one isocenter position; then, to automatically determine the multileaf collimator (MLC) plane field geometry parameters of the at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field; and then to optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC plane field geometry parameters to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0023] With this configuration, these teachings can provide, for example, automated radiotherapy planning settings using dual-field and graded procedures. In one method, these teachings can be applied to complex treatments, such as gantry rotation pauses during treatment fields. These teachings will also be adapted to automatically divide field pairs between different collimator pairs and then allocate them for different treatment sections.

[0024] Before describing these teachings in more detail, it can be helpful to understand that clinicians often lack clarity on how different field settings relate to achievable treatment plan quality, especially when multiple fields are involved, each only partially covering a segment of a large target structure. Therefore, the planning process may involve iterating throughout the entire process to find a satisfactory setting. However, this approach typically relies heavily on guessing field setting parameters, initiating dose optimization algorithms, and checking the results of three-dimensional dosing against the relevant structure. This trial-and-error process is time-consuming and resource-intensive, and can itself lead to variations in the quality of treatment plans achieved by different patients and planners.

[0025] Another point of concern is the lack of a reliable, templated method for setting the firing field that works well on all different patient geometries. Furthermore, existing templated methods often involve numerous free-parameter firing fields that clinicians must choose from, which essentially eliminates the main benefits of using templates.

[0026] It can also be noted that typical planning methods will use the same geometry throughout the treatment. Therefore, and by way of the example, although the treatment could consist of thirty treatment sections, each treatment section would use the same field geometry. The applicant has determined that this approach is not always optimal.

[0027] Through a thorough review and study of the following specific embodiments, the various benefits of these teachings compared to the foregoing may become clearer. Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in particular... Figure 1 The first thing to be presented is an illustrative device 100 that is compatible with many of the teachings in these teachings.

[0028] In this particular example, the enabling device 100 includes a control circuit 101. As a “circuit”, the control circuit 101 therefore includes a structure comprising at least one (typically many) conductive paths (such as paths composed of conductive metals, such as copper or silver) that conduct electricity in an ordered manner, and the paths(s) typically also include corresponding electrical components (passive (such as resistors and capacitors) and active (such as any of a variety of semiconductor-based devices), as appropriate) to allow the circuit to implement the control aspects of these teachings.

[0029] Such control circuitry 101 may include a fixed-purpose hardwired hardware platform (including, but not limited to, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), which are integrated circuits designed for a specific purpose rather than intended for general-purpose customization, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.), or may include a partially or fully programmable hardware platform (including, but not limited to, microcontrollers, microprocessors, etc.). These architectural options for such a configuration are well known and understood in the art and do not require further description herein. Control circuitry 101 is configured to (e.g., through corresponding programming that will be fully understood by those skilled in the art) perform one or more steps, actions, and / or functions described herein.

[0030] It should be understood that the control circuit 101 may include a single integrated platform, or may include multiple such circuits that work together with each other.

[0031] Control circuitry 101 is operatively coupled to memory 102. Memory 102 may be essential to control circuitry 101 or may be physically discrete ( wholly or partially) from control circuitry 101 as needed. Memory 102 may also be local to control circuitry 101 (where, for example, both share a common circuit board, chassis, power supply, and / or enclosure), or may be partially or completely remote to control circuitry 101 (where, for example, memory 102 is physically located in another facility, metropolitan area, or even country compared to control circuitry 101). Like control circuitry 101, memory 102 may comprise a single structure or may comprise multiple memory platforms that collectively constitute the “memory” of device 100.

[0032] In addition to information such as the aforementioned patient geometry (including at least one target volume for a specific patient), radiotherapy apparatus geometry for a specific radiotherapy apparatus, and radiation direction field geometry parameters including at least one field geometry (having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle, and at least one isocenter position, as described herein), the memory 102 can also be used, for example, to non-transitory store computer instructions that, when executed by the control circuit 101, cause the control circuit 101 to behave as described herein. (As used herein, this reference to "non-transitory" will be understood to mean the non-transient state of the stored content (and therefore does not include cases where the stored content constitutes only a signal or wave), rather than the volatility of the storage medium itself, and therefore includes both non-volatile memories (such as read-only memory (ROM)) and volatile memories (such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM)).

[0033] Alternatively, the control circuitry 101 may also be operatively coupled to the user interface 103. The user interface 103 may include any of a variety of user input mechanisms (such as, but not limited to, keyboards and keypads, cursor control devices, touch-sensitive displays, voice recognition interfaces, gesture recognition interfaces, etc.) and / or user output mechanisms (such as, but not limited to, visual displays, audio transducers, printers, etc.) to facilitate receiving information and / or instructions from and / or providing information to the user.

[0034] If desired, the control circuitry 101 can also be operatively coupled to a network interface (not shown). The control circuitry 101 configured in this way can communicate with other components (both internal and external to the device 100) via the network interface. Network interfaces (including wireless and non-wireless platforms) are well understood in the art and do not require special description here.

[0035] By means of a method, a computed tomography device 106 and / or other imaging device 107 known in the art can acquire some or all of any desired patient-related imaging information.

[0036] In this illustrative example, control circuitry 101 is configured to ultimately output an optimized energy-based treatment plan (e.g., an optimized radiotherapy plan 113). This energy-based treatment plan typically includes specified values ​​for each of various treatment platform parameters during each of multiple consecutive exposure fields. In this case, the energy-based treatment plan is generated through an optimization process, an example of which is further provided herein.

[0037] In one method, control circuitry 101 can be operatively coupled to an energy-based treatment platform 114, which is configured to deliver therapeutic energy 112 to a corresponding patient 104 according to an optimized energy-based treatment plan 113, the patient 104 having at least one treatment volume 105 and one or more organs at risk (in Figure 1 (The organs at first risk are 108 to Nth risk are 109). These teachings are generally applicable to any of a variety of energy-based therapeutic platforms / devices. In a typical application setting, an energy-based therapeutic platform 114 would include an energy source, such as a radiation source 115 of ionizing radiation 116.

[0038] In one method, the radiation source 115 can be selectively moved along an arcuate pathway via a gantry (wherein the pathway at least partially covers the patient during treatment). The arcuate pathway may, as needed, comprise a complete or nearly complete circle. In another method, control circuitry 101 controls the movement of the radiation source 115 along the arcuate pathway and can correspondingly control when the radiation source 115 begins to move, stops moving, accelerates, decelerates, and / or the speed at which the radiation source 115 travels along the arcuate pathway.

[0039] As an illustrative example, radiation source 115 may include, for example, an X-ray source based on a radio frequency (RF) linear particle accelerator (a linear accelerator). A linear accelerator is a particle accelerator that greatly increases the kinetic energy of charged subatomic particles or ions by subjecting charged particles to a series of oscillating potentials along a linear beamline. This particle accelerator can be used to generate ionizing radiation (e.g., X-rays) 116 and high-energy electrons.

[0040] A typical energy-based treatment platform 114 may also include one or more support devices 110 (such as a treatment bed) supporting the patient 104 during the treatment course, one or more patient fixation devices 111, a gantry that allows selective movement of the radiation source 115, or other movable mechanisms, and one or more energy shaping devices (such as beam shaping devices 117, such as slits, multi-leaf collimators, etc.) to provide selective energy shaping and / or energy modulation as needed.

[0041] In a typical application setting, this document assumes that the patient support device 110 can be selectively controlled by the control circuitry 101 to move in any direction (i.e., any X, Y, or Z direction) during an energy-based therapeutic session. Since the foregoing elements and systems are well understood in the art, further elaboration of these aspects is not provided herein unless otherwise relevant to the description.

[0042] Now for reference Figure 2The following describes a process 200 that can be executed, for example, in conjunction with the application settings described above (more specifically, via the control circuit 101 described above). Generally, this process 200 is used to facilitate the generation of an optimized radiotherapy plan 113, thereby promoting the treatment of a specific patient with therapeutic radiation using a specific radiotherapy platform according to the optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0043] In block 201, control circuitry 101 accesses patient geometry information including at least one target volume. This information (as described herein, for example, can be accessed via communication with the aforementioned memory 102). In addition to the target volume, the patient geometry information may also include other information such as one or more non-target organs at risk. The accessed patient geometry information may include image information, such as one or more computed tomography (CT) images.

[0044] In block 202, control circuitry 101 accesses radiotherapy apparatus geometry information for a specific radiotherapy apparatus (particularly a radiotherapy apparatus planned for use in administering radiotherapy to a specific patient). This geometry information typically includes information relating to the spatial arrangement and / or physical characteristics of the apparatus, which includes the radiotherapy apparatus and influences the delivery of radiation to the target volume.

[0045] Furthermore, in block 203, control circuitry 101 accesses radiation direction parameters including at least one field geometry setting having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle, and at least one isocenter position. The isocenter position refers to the isocenter, a precisely defined point in space around which the radiation delivery system is designed to rotate. The isocenter serves as the focal point for radiation beams delivered from multiple angles to converge on the target volume. In many application setups, the patient is positioned such that the target volume is aligned with the machine's isocenter.

[0046] In block 204, control circuitry 101 then uses a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field to automatically determine the multi-leaf collimator plane field geometry setting parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting. In one method, the single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field includes a single automated dual-field setting for each isocenter, if desired, but these teachings will be adapted to an N-field setting for each isocenter (where “N” is an integer equal to or greater than 2).

[0047] By means of a method, the above-described multi-leaf collimator plane field geometry parameters for automatically determining at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field may include using a single automated multi-field setting for each isocentric and arcuate field geometry, the isocentric and arcuate field geometry including at least one starting frame angle and at least one ending frame angle.

[0048] By means of a method, the above-described automatic determination of at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setup for each radiation direction field may include at least partially generating an arcuate field pair that overlaps in angular space, the arcuate field pair simultaneously having a field opening limiting aperture configured to cover the target volume. By means of a method, the target volume is completely covered. By means of another method, the target volume is at least substantially covered, where “substantially covered” can mean covering 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% as needed, or any value within, for example, the range of 75% to 100%, which may be suitable for a given application setup.

[0049] By means of a method, the multi-leaf collimator plane field geometry setting parameters for automatically determining at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field may include: dividing the multi-field settings at least partially between treatment portions such that only one field pair and a corresponding collimator angle setting are used at a time to produce dose results in each treatment portion.

[0050] In optional box 205, control circuitry 101 can access a user-input value for at least one collimator angle, which can be used during the optimization process. For example, a user can input such a value using the user interface 103 described above. The collimator angle is the angle by which a multi-leaf collimator rotates about the beam axis. Changing the collimator angle adjusts the orientation of the multi-leaf collimator blades relative to the target volume and surrounding tissue.

[0051] In optional box 206, control circuitry 101 can automatically determine at least one collimator angle to provide at least one automatically determined collimator angle that can be used during the optimization process, instead of the aforementioned optional use of a user-input value for at least one collimator angle, or a combination thereof. These teachings will be adapted to various methods of making such automatic determination. Examples include, but are not limited to, calculating angles, looking up angles in an angle value table, machine learning models that suggest angle values, etc.

[0052] In block 207, control circuit 101 optimizes a radiotherapy plan for a specific patient using the aforementioned radiotherapy apparatus based on the multi-leaf collimator planar field geometry settings parameters, thereby providing an optimized radiotherapy plan. This optimization of the radiotherapy plan based on the multi-leaf collimator planar field geometry settings parameters can, through a method, include allowing the use of all geometrical degrees of freedom of a specific radiotherapy apparatus, including the multi-leaf collimator blade angles relative to structural boundaries.

[0053] Those skilled in the art will note that process 200 provides user input values ​​for the field opening settings without accessing the multi-leaf collimator plane. In these respects, no such step is contrary to typical prior art practice.

[0054] If necessary, and as indicated in optional box 208, the process 200 will be adapted to deliver therapeutic radiation to a specific patient in accordance with the optimized radiotherapy plan described above.

[0055] Further details consistent with these teachings will now be presented. It is important to understand that the specific details of these examples are intended for illustrative purposes and not to impose any particular limitation on these teachings.

[0056] One approach, based on these teachings, can provide a solution to all arc field geometry setup problems across all treatment sites using a single automated dual-field setup per isocenter. This approach virtually completely eliminates the field geometry setup burden from the planner. It also reduces variations in the quality of the achieved plans and produces better plans than methods requiring extensive manual setup.

[0057] One approach to these teachings could include a free parameter (i.e., the collimator angle) for the user to set. The impact of this selection on planar quality is limited, especially compared to collimator angles with multiple manual settings. In application settings where the radiotherapy machine and planning system support optimization and dynamic changes in the collimator angle, this free parameter could even be removed. In application settings lacking dynamic collimator angles, this teaching could be extended to using a dual-field setup, allowing the collimator angle to vary between treatment sections.

[0058] An illustrative example of setting up automatic dual-field will now be provided.

[0059] This example assumes a non-atypical head and neck treatment site where the target size is greater than 20 cm, thus exceeding the maximum multi-leaf collimator blade span of 15 cm applicable to many treatment machines. Blade span refers to the maximum distance a multi-leaf collimator blade can extend and freely modulate the dose within a single field of view. Therefore, when setting up the field, the blade span width is typically used as the maximum field size in the X direction.

[0060] This example assumes that the maximum field size limit is given as a rectangular area using the (x1, x2, y1, y2) positions in the multi-leaf collimator plane. This rectangular area can be referred to as the "field aperture". In an arc field, the target projection in the multi-leaf collimator plane can vary with each gantry angle, and the projection will exceed the set field aperture at some angles (and within some angles).

[0061] To accommodate missing portions of the target projection, existing users typically set up another arc-shaped field with different collimator angles and apertures, so that the combination of the two arc-shaped fields (still limited by the 15cm field X size) will eventually cover all target projections at all rack angles. There are usually multiple combinations of setting parameters (collimator angle, aperture) to achieve the necessary coverage, but their impact on the achievable program quality is unclear. Figure 3 This presents an illustrative example of these aspects.

[0062] In particular, Figure 3 The illustration depicts a prior art method that manually sets up an arcuate field for the aforementioned head and neck case, where the target projection exceeds 15 cm from any gantry angle. Two rectangles, 301 and 302, represent the X range of the maximum blade span (x1..x2 = 15 cm), which is the maximum range that the multi-leaf collimator blades can fully modulate. Here, the user must calculate the combination of collimator angles for the two fields (here, the x1 and x2 positions of the two fields).

[0063] Compared to the previous content, after setting the isocenter, this tutorial only requires the user to set the angle settings for the arc field (such as the collimator angle and the start / stop angle of the arc). The user doesn't need to specify anything regarding the field aperture. The automated tool can then create arc field pairs that overlap in angular space, but with the field aperture set to always cover the entire target structure. This setup can be completed regardless of the target's size.

[0064] Figure 4 Illustrative examples are presented in these respects, which assume that... Figure 3 The head and neck case presented is the same. In this example, each field has X ranges 401 and 402 set according to the maximum blade span, but here, fields can be combined so that the combination covers the entire target volume from all gantry angles. With this configuration, the user only needs to set one parameter: the common collimator angle. In one method, the collimator angle can have a non-zero default value, such as 30 degrees or 45 degrees, which can suit at least some, or even most, patient cases. (A manual selection can even be omitted where dynamic collimator rotation is possible.)

[0065] This method makes setting up the arc field a simple and standardized process. It also reduces variations in plan quality between different planners / manual setups.

[0066] The aforementioned automation can be achieved by a method that includes projecting the selected target volume onto a multi-leaf collimator plane at each gantry angle of the firing field, combining the projected two-dimensional images to form a single cumulative projection image, and then setting the rectangular firing field aperture such that the leftmost X1 side of the first firing field covers the leftmost side of the target projection image, and the X2 side is set to be a distance from it by the maximum leaf span. Another firing field will be generated symmetrically, but tilted towards the rightmost side of the target. If the target volume is smaller than the maximum span, the two firing fields will completely overlap unless otherwise suggested. If a reduction in overall treatment time is required, the arc rotation direction of each planned firing field can be varied between clockwise and counterclockwise rotations.

[0067] An illustrative example of part-based automatic settings will now be provided.

[0068] Alternatively, these teachings will be adapted to eliminate the last remaining free parameter, namely, the collimator angle. To create a universal working setup, the collimator angle space should generally be covered from at least several angles. This characteristic can be adapted simply by creating multiple field pairs, each with a different collimator angle. Unfortunately, if all these field pairs are used to optimize the total dose, the treatment time will increase accordingly.

[0069] Instead, these instructions will adapt to dividing the field setup between treatment sections, so that only one pair of dual fields with one collimator angle is used at a time to generate a dose in each treatment section. The way the fields are distributed across sections may vary depending on the treatment and the user's needs.

[0070] As an illustrative example of the foregoing, if the plan is to treat with five times the partial dose of 10 Gy, a dual-arc setup can be used, where one pair of collimators is at 0 degrees for 1x10 Gy, another pair at 22.5 degrees for 1x10 Gy, another pair at 45 degrees for 1x10 Gy, one pair at 67.5 degrees, and one pair at 90 degrees for 1x10 Gy. The end result is that the total dose and treatment time remain the same, but the radiotherapy plan has more freedom to allow for adjustments based on the patient's geometry.

[0071] One advantage of the part-based setup is that the optimizer can use all geometric degrees of freedom, including the angles of the multi-leaf collimator blades relative to the structural boundary, and the user does not need to set any parameters that have unknown effects on the achievable quality of the program.

[0072] Other aspects of these teachings are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses (it should be understood that any one of these clauses may be combined with any one or more of the other clauses as needed).

[0073] Clause 1. A method for optimizing a radiotherapy plan for a specific patient using a specific radiotherapy apparatus having a radiation source, the method comprising: by control circuitry: accessing patient geometry including at least one target volume; accessing radiotherapy apparatus geometry for the specific radiotherapy apparatus; accessing radiation direction field geometry parameters including at least one field geometry having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle, and at least one isocenter position; automatically determining multileaf collimator (MLC) plane field geometry parameters for the at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field; and optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC plane field geometry parameters to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0074] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting are automatically determined using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, comprising: using a single automated multi-field setting for each isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting, the isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting comprising at least one starting rack angle and at least one ending rack angle.

[0075] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 1 further includes: accessing a user input value for the collimator angle; and wherein optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry setting parameters includes: optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the user input values ​​for the MLC planar field geometry setting parameters and the collimator angle.

[0076] Clause 4. The method according to Clause 1 further includes: automatically determining at least one collimator angle to provide at least one automatically determined collimator angle; and wherein optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on MLC planar field geometry settings parameters includes: optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on MLC planar field geometry settings parameters and at least one automatically determined collimator angle.

[0077] Clause 5. The method according to Clause 1 also includes: user input values ​​for opening the field of the MLC plane without accessing the MLC plane.

[0078] Clause 6. The method according to Clause 1, wherein automatically determining at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setup for each radiation direction field comprises at least partially generating an arcuate field pair that overlaps in angular space, the arcuate field pair having a field opening limiting aperture configured to cover the target volume.

[0079] Clause 7. The method according to Clause 1, wherein a single automated multi-field setup for each radiation direction field includes a single automated dual-field setup for each isocenter.

[0080] Clause 8. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting are automatically determined using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, comprises: dividing the multi-field settings at least partially between treatment portions such that only one field pair and a corresponding collimator angle setting are used at a time to produce dose results in each treatment portion.

[0081] Clause 9. The method according to Clause 8, wherein optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters includes: allowing all geometric degrees of freedom of a particular radiotherapy device, including the multi-leaf collimator blade angles relative to the structural boundaries.

[0082] Clause 10. The method according to Clause 1 also includes: administering therapeutic radiation to a specific patient in accordance with an optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0083] Clause 11. An apparatus for optimizing a radiotherapy plan for a specific patient using a specific radiotherapy apparatus having a radiation source, the apparatus comprising: control circuitry configured to: access patient geometry including at least one target volume; access radiotherapy apparatus geometry information of the specific radiotherapy apparatus; access radiation direction field geometry parameters including at least one field geometry having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle, and at least one isocenter position; automatically determine multileaf collimator (MLC) plane field geometry parameters of the at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field; and optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC plane field geometry parameters to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0084] Clause 12. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically determine the MLC planar field geometry parameters of at least one radiation direction field geometry by using a single automated multi-field setting for each isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting, the isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting including at least one starting rack angle and one ending rack angle.

[0085] Clause 13. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: access a user input value of the collimator angle; and wherein the control circuitry is configured to optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the user input value of the collimator angle according to the MLC planar field geometry setting parameters.

[0086] Clause 14. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: automatically determine at least one collimator angle to provide at least one automatically determined collimator angle; and wherein the control circuitry is configured to optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry setting parameters and at least one automatically determined collimator angle.

[0087] Clause 15. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to: not access user input values ​​for firing field opening settings in the MLC plane.

[0088] Clause 16. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically determine at least one radiation direction field geometry setting by generating at least partially overlapping arcuate field pairs in angular space, using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, the arcuate field pair simultaneously having a field opening limiting aperture set such that it covers the target volume.

[0089] Clause 17. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein a single automated multi-field setup for each radiation direction field includes a single automated dual-field setup for each isocenter.

[0090] Clause 18. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to divide a multi-field setup at least partially between treatment portions, such that a dose result is generated in each treatment portion using only one pair of fields and a corresponding collimator angle setting at a time, and to automatically determine the MLC planar field geometry parameters of at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setup for each radiation direction field.

[0091] Clause 19. The apparatus of Clause 18, wherein the control circuitry is configured to optimize the radiotherapy plan according to the MLC planar field geometry setting parameters by allowing the use of all geometric degrees of freedom of a particular radiotherapy apparatus, including the angle of the multi-leaf collimator blades relative to the structural boundary.

[0092] Clause 20. The apparatus according to Clause 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to administer therapeutic radiation to a specific patient in accordance with an optimized radiotherapy plan.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and such modifications, alterations, or combinations should be considered within the scope of the inventive concept.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing a radiotherapy plan for a specific patient, the radiotherapy plan using a specific radiotherapy device having a radiation source, the method comprising: Control circuit: Access patient geometry information, including at least one target volume; Access the radiotherapy device geometry information of the specific radiotherapy device; Access includes radiation direction radiation field geometry parameters of at least one radiation field geometry, the at least one radiation field geometry having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle and at least one isocenter position; Using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, the parameters of the multi-leaf collimator MLC planar field geometry setting for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting are automatically determined. The radiotherapy plan is optimized based on the MLC planar field geometry settings to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field comprises: A single automated multi-field setup is used for each isocentric and arcuate field geometry, which includes at least one starting rack angle and at least one ending rack angle.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Access the user-input value for the collimator angle; Furthermore, optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters includes optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the user input values ​​of the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters and the collimator angle.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Automatically determine at least one collimator angle to provide at least one automatically determined collimator angle; Furthermore, optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry settings includes: optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry settings and the at least one automatically determined collimator angle.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The user input values ​​for opening the shooting field in the MLC plane are not accessed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining at least one radiation direction field geometry using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field comprises: At least partially, an arc-shaped field pair that overlaps in angular space is generated, the arc-shaped field pair having a field opening limiting aperture configured to cover the target volume.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field comprises a single automated dual-field setting for each isocenter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field comprises: The multi-field setup is divided at least partially between treatment sections, such that only one field pair and one corresponding collimator angle setting are used at a time to produce a dose result in each treatment section.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein optimizing the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry settings comprises: All geometric degrees of freedom of the specific radiotherapy device are allowed, including the multi-leaf collimator blade angles relative to the structural boundaries.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Therapeutic radiation is administered to the specific patient according to the optimized radiotherapy plan.

11. An apparatus for optimizing a radiotherapy plan for a specific patient, the radiotherapy plan using a specific radiotherapy apparatus having a radiation source, the apparatus comprising: The control circuit is configured as follows: Access patient geometry information, including at least one target volume; Access the radiotherapy device geometry information of the specific radiotherapy device; Access includes radiation direction radiation field geometry parameters of at least one radiation field geometry, the at least one radiation field geometry having at least one gantry angle, at least one treatment bed angle and at least one isocenter position; Using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, the parameters of the multi-leaf collimator MLC planar field geometry setting for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting are automatically determined. The radiotherapy plan is optimized based on the MLC planar field geometry settings to provide an optimized radiotherapy plan.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is configured to automatically determine MLC planar field geometry parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry by using a single automated multi-field setting for each isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting, and using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, the isocentric and arcuate field geometry setting including at least one starting rack angle and at least one ending rack angle.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: Access the user-input value for the collimator angle; Furthermore, the control circuit is configured to optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the user input value of the MLC planar field geometry setting parameters and the collimator angle.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: Automatically determine at least one collimator angle to provide at least one automatically determined collimator angle; Furthermore, the control circuit is configured to optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry setting parameters and the at least one automatically determined collimator angle.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: The user input values ​​for opening the shooting field in the MLC plane are not accessed.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically determine at least one radiation direction field geometry by generating at least partially overlapping arcuate field pairs in angular space, using a single automated multi-field setting for each radiation direction field, the arcuate field pairs simultaneously having field opening limiting apertures configured to cover the target volume.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the single automated multi-field setup for each radiation direction field comprises a single automated dual-field setup for each isocenter.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to divide the multi-field setup at least partially between treatment portions such that a dose result is generated in each treatment portion using only one field pair and a corresponding collimator angle setting at a time, and to automatically determine MLC planar field geometry parameters for at least one radiation direction field geometry setting using a single automated multi-field setup for each radiation direction field.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control circuitry is configured to optimize the radiotherapy plan based on the MLC planar field geometry settings parameters by allowing the use of all geometric degrees of freedom of the particular radiotherapy apparatus, the geometric degrees of freedom including the multi-leaf collimator blade angles relative to the structural boundary.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control circuit is further configured to: Therapeutic radiation is administered to the specific patient according to the optimized radiotherapy plan.

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