Radiation therapy planning system

Abstract

This eliminates the need to operate various radiation therapy planning devices, each with its own one-to-one relationship with the respective radiation therapy device, and allows for the remote creation of radiation therapy plans for radiation therapy devices. [Solution] The radiation therapy planning device according to the embodiment comprises an acquisition unit, a first selection unit, a second selection unit, and a creation unit. The acquisition unit acquires beam modeling data for a specific radiation therapy device based on information about a specific radiation therapy device among a plurality of radiation therapy devices distributed across multiple facilities. The first selection unit selects a treatment plan format corresponding to the type of specific radiation therapy device based on the information. The second selection unit selects specification data corresponding to the type of specific radiation therapy device based on the information. The creation unit creates a radiation therapy plan to be used for the specific radiation therapy device based on the acquired beam modeling data, the selected treatment plan format, and the selected specification data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings relate to a radiation therapy planning apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] For radiation therapy apparatuses, even if they are of the same manufacturer, the same model, and the same configuration, the intensity, distribution, etc. of the radiation beam may change due to peripheral environments such as temperature and humidity, individual differences, etc. Therefore, beam modeling data of the radiation beam is being created. Further, for radiation therapy apparatuses, even if they are of the same manufacturer and the same model, several radiation therapy planning formats are required according to the options.

[0003] On the other hand, for a radiation therapy planning apparatus, by using the beam modeling data, radiation therapy apparatus specifications, and radiation therapy planning formats of a specific radiation therapy apparatus, it is possible to create a radiation therapy plan that can be executed by the specific radiation therapy apparatus and whose accuracy is maintained. For this reason, a radiation therapy apparatus and a radiation therapy planning apparatus usually have a one-to-one relationship.

[0004] On the other hand, in recent years, remote radiation therapy planning has been approved. Remote radiation therapy planning means that when there is no radiation oncologist at Facility A (e.g., an affiliated hospital of a university hospital), a radiation oncologist at Facility B (e.g., a university hospital) creates a radiation therapy plan remotely without going to Facility A.

[0005] Here, according to the study by the present inventor, since the birth rate in Japan is decreasing and the population of the elderly in the later stage is increasing, the number of cancer patients, who are mostly elderly, continues to increase, while the number of medical staff in the working generation is expected to continue to decrease. Further, in the future, when performing remote radiation therapy planning, for example, it is assumed that one radiation oncologist at a university hospital creates radiation therapy plans remotely for a plurality of hospitals different from the affiliated hospitals of the university hospital. Generally, at a plurality of different hospitals, radiation therapy apparatuses and radiation therapy planning apparatuses of various manufacturers, various models, and various specifications have a one-to-one relationship.

[0006] <00Therefore, a single radiation oncologist needs to create radiation therapy plans for each different radiation therapy device by operating a radiation therapy planning system that has a one-to-one relationship with that device. Furthermore, this single radiation oncologist needs to be able to operate various radiation therapy planning systems after receiving explanations of their usage and functions at orientation sessions and undergoing considerable training. However, it is unrealistic to expect a radiation oncologist to become proficient in operating various radiation therapy planning systems through orientation sessions and training alone.

[0007] Based on the inventors' considerations described above, it is desirable to be able to remotely create radiation therapy plans for radiation therapy devices without having to operate various radiation therapy planning devices that have a one-to-one relationship with various radiation therapy devices. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-242722 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] One of the problems that the embodiments disclosed in this specification and drawings aim to solve is to enable the remote creation of radiation therapy plans for radiation therapy devices, without the need to operate various radiation therapy planning devices that have a one-to-one relationship with various radiation therapy devices. However, the problems that the embodiments disclosed in this specification and drawings aim to solve are not limited to the above problem. Problems corresponding to the effects of each configuration shown in the embodiments described later can also be positioned as other problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The radiotherapy planning apparatus according to the embodiment comprises an acquisition unit, a first selection unit, a second selection unit, and a creation unit. The acquisition unit acquires beam modeling data for a specific radiotherapy apparatus based on information about a specific radiotherapy apparatus among a plurality of radiotherapy apparatuses distributed across multiple facilities. The first selection unit selects a treatment plan format corresponding to the specific radiotherapy apparatus from among the treatment plan formats corresponding to each of the plurality of radiotherapy apparatuses based on information about the specific radiotherapy apparatus. The second selection unit selects specification data corresponding to the specific radiotherapy apparatus from among the specification data corresponding to each of the plurality of radiotherapy apparatuses based on information about the specific radiotherapy apparatus. The creation unit creates a radiotherapy plan to be used for the specific radiotherapy apparatus based on the acquired beam modeling data, the selected treatment plan format, and the selected specification data. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a system equipped with a radiotherapy planning device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram that provides an overview of the information regarding the radiation therapy equipment installed in each hospital shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the beam model DB shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the treatment plan format database shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the treatment plan format DB shown in Figure 1. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the radiotherapy equipment specification database shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the radiotherapy equipment specifications database shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8]Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a radiotherapy planning device according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of operation in one embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a system equipped with a radiotherapy planning device according to a first modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a system equipped with a radiotherapy planning device according to a second modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a radiotherapy planning device according to a second modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a system equipped with a radiotherapy planning device according to a third modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a radiotherapy planning device according to a third modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a system equipped with a radiotherapy planning device according to a fourth modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a radiotherapy planning device according to a fourth modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of a system equipped with a radiotherapy planning device according to a fifth modified example of one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, a system equipped with a radiation treatment planning apparatus according to an embodiment will be described while referring to the drawings. This system may be called by any name such as a remote radiation treatment planning system or a radiation treatment planning system. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be made as appropriate and necessary. Note that various data handled in this specification are typically digital data.

[0013] <One embodiment> FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a system equipped with a radiation treatment planning apparatus according to an embodiment. This system is arranged across large-scale cancer centers LCC, hospital AH, …, hospital XH, …, hospital ZH that can communicate with each other via a general network Nw1 such as the Internet in a certain region. The large-scale cancer center LCC is a radiation treatment facility that serves as the core of the region. The large-scale cancer center LCC includes an oncology information system 10, a beam model DB 20, a treatment plan format DB 30, a radiation treatment apparatus specification DB 40, radiation treatment planning apparatuses 501 to 50z, and radiation treatment apparatuses 601 to 60m. Details of the elements included in this large-scale cancer center LCC will be described later.

[0014] On the other hand, hospital AH, …, hospital XH, …, hospital ZH are radiation treatment facilities that cooperate with each other in the region. Hospital AH, …, hospital XH, …, hospital ZH each include an oncology information system 1A, …, 1X, …, 1Z, and radiation treatment apparatuses 6A, …, 6X, …, 6Z. The capital English letters of the reference numerals of the oncology information systems 1A, …, 1X, …, 1Z, and the radiation treatment apparatuses 6A, …, 6X, …, 6Z indicate that they are arranged in the corresponding hospitals. For example, the oncology information system 1A and the radiation treatment apparatus 6A are arranged in hospital AH corresponding to the capital English letter “A” of the reference numerals “1A” and “6A”.

[0015] Here, oncology information systems 1A, ..., 1X, ..., and 1Z store together radiation therapy plans, radiation therapy implementation history, images related to radiation therapy plans, and images generated during radiation therapy at Hospital AH, ..., Hospital XH, ..., and Hospital ZH, respectively. Images related to radiation therapy plans are, for example, CT images of patients acquired by radiation therapy planning CT devices (not shown) located at Hospital AH, ..., Hospital XH, ..., and Hospital ZH. When it is difficult to identify the extent of a tumor, medical images acquired by MRI devices (not shown) or PET-CT devices (not shown) may be added to these. CT is an abbreviation for computed tomography. MRI is an abbreviation for magnetic resonance imaging. PET is an abbreviation for positron emission tomography. A PET-CT device refers to a device that integrates a PET device and a CT device.

[0016] Furthermore, the oncology information systems 1A, ..., 1X, ..., 1Z manage everything related to radiotherapy, including the radiotherapy schedules at Hospital AH, ..., Hospital XH, ..., and Hospital ZH, respectively. For example, the oncology information systems 1A, ..., 1X, ..., 1Z create information on the radiotherapy equipment used for radiotherapy, the radiotherapy schedule, and the task lists for each stage of radiotherapy, and follow up on each step. The oncology information systems 1A, ..., 1X, ..., 1Z also register radiotherapy plan objectives. Specifically, these include treatment techniques, dose targets for each target, margin information for each target, dose constraints for each organ at risk (OAR), and the number of fractions. These oncology information systems 1A, ..., 1X, ..., 1Z may also be implemented as radiotherapy support devices that can communicate with their respective radiotherapy equipment 6A, ..., 6X, ..., 6Z. The oncology information systems 1A, ..., 1X, ..., 1Z are examples of radiotherapy support systems that correspond to specific radiotherapy devices among multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. The oncology information systems may also be referred to as OIS, which is an abbreviation for Oncology Information System. Alternatively, instead of the oncology information systems 1A, ..., 1X, ..., 1Z, all aspects of radiotherapy may be managed by a radiology information system (RIS) or a similar radiology information management device.

[0017] Each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z is managed by its corresponding oncology information system 1A to 1Z, and performs radiotherapy on the patient based on a radiotherapy plan created by one of the radiotherapy planning devices 50n to 50z. Specifically, each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z treats the patient by irradiating them with radiation according to the created radiotherapy plan. Each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z is installed in the treatment room of each hospital and has a treatment stand and a treatment bed. The treatment bed moves its tabletop so that the patient's treatment area is approximately aligned with the isocenter. The treatment stand supports the irradiation head so that it can rotate around a rotation axis. The irradiation head irradiates with radiation according to the treatment plan. Specifically, the irradiation head forms an irradiation field using an MLC (multi-leaf collimator), and this irradiation field suppresses irradiation of normal tissue. When radiation is irradiated to the treatment area, the treatment area disappears or shrinks. Furthermore, each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z is a type of device corresponding to the facility, manufacturer, model, energy, MLC (multi-leaf collimator), flattening filter, beam modeling data, treatment planning format, and radiotherapy device specifications, as shown in Figure 2.

[0018] In Figure 2, the facilities refer to Hospital AH, ..., Hospital XH, ..., and Hospital ZH, where each of the radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z is located. Accordingly, "Hospital AH, ..., Hospital XH, ..., and Hospital ZH" may be referred to as "facilities" or "external facilities," as long as it does not cause confusion with the Large-Scale Cancer Center LCC. "External facilities" refers to the radiation therapy facilities located outside the Large-Scale Cancer Center LCC, namely Hospital AH, ..., Hospital XH, ..., and Hospital ZH.

[0019] The manufacturer indicates the company that produced each of the radiation therapy devices 6A through 6Z.

[0020] The model designation indicates the type of equipment, such as whether each of the 6A-6Z radiotherapy devices is a general-purpose device (e.g., General-purpose_1) or a specialized device (e.g., Specialized_1). An example of a general-purpose device is the General-purpose LINAC. An example of a specialized device is the IMRT / VMAT dedicated device. IMRT is an abbreviation for Intensity-modulated radiation therapy. IMRT refers to the creation of a radiation therapy plan using inverse planning and the subsequent implementation of radiation therapy. VMAT is an abbreviation for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy.

[0021] Energy [MeV] indicates the energy value of the radiation beam that each radiation therapy device can selectively use.

[0022] MLC stands for Multi-leaf collimator, which can create a radiation field that directs radiation only to the target by moving multiple corresponding leaves. There are several types of MLCs depending on the device, model, and specifications, and the most important of these is the leaf width at the iso-center position. Note that an MLC with a 10mm leaf width and an MLC with a 5mm leaf width will have different leaf configurations.

[0023] A flattening filter is a filter that evens out the radiation intensity of a radiation beam. Depending on the device, model, and specifications, there are two types: one that can be selected to be included or not, or one that is only included.

[0024] Beam modeling data is data that can reproduce the X-ray intensity distribution at a specific distance from the X-ray focal point when X-rays are irradiated with a specific beam energy and specific conditions (presence or absence of primary collimator, MLC, and flattening filter). Beam modeling data also includes information such as the extent of leakage dose caused by the MLC. Such beam modeling data is used, for example, in radiation therapy planning software to calculate the dose distribution inside a patient. It should be noted that beam modeling data differs for each of the radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z, and generally does not match even for radiation therapy devices from the same manufacturer, model, and specifications. In the example in Figure 2, the beam modeling data differs for each facility. To elaborate, in the example in Figure 2, since the external facilities have one of each of the radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z, the beam modeling data differs according to each of the radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z.

[0025] The treatment plan format is data for creating radiation therapy plans and corresponds to each type of radiation therapy device 6A-6Z. For example, each manufacturer, model, and configuration of radiation therapy devices 6A-6Z has a specific treatment plan format. For example, even with the same manufacturer and model, several treatment plan formats may be required depending on the options. For example, the treatment plan format will differ if the MLC configuration is different. Specifically, an MLC with a leaf width of 10 mm at the iso-center position and an MLC with a leaf width of 5 mm will have different leaf configurations. Since the radiation therapy plan contains the position data for each leaf in each MLC configuration, the amount of data for the two radiation therapy plans will differ. Furthermore, for example, between a configuration where the flattening filter is always on and a configuration where the flattening filter can be switched between on and off, the latter requires the radiation therapy plan to include the state of the flattening filter, so the amount of data for the two radiation therapy plans will differ. In the example in Figure 2, the treatment plan format has different data for each combination of manufacturer, model, energy, MLC, and flattening filter.

[0026] The radiation therapy equipment specifications are the specification data for each of the radiation therapy equipment 6A-6Z, corresponding to each type of radiation therapy equipment 6A-6Z. In the example in Figure 2, the radiation therapy equipment specifications are different for each combination of manufacturer, model, energy, MLC, and flattening filter. The specification data includes the energy specifications, MLC specifications, and flattening filter specifications. The specification data includes the options that radiation therapy equipment 6A-6Z can take to change the beam distribution.

[0027] Next, we will return to Figure 1 and explain in detail the elements of the large-scale cancer center LCC.

[0028] The large-scale cancer center LCC has the following interconnected systems: Oncology Information System 10, Beam Model DB 20, Treatment Planning Format DB 30, Radiation Therapy Equipment Specification DB 40, Radiation Therapy Planning Systems 501-50z, and Radiation Therapy Equipment 601-60m.

[0029] The oncology information system 10 stores radiotherapy plans created by each of the radiotherapy planning devices 501-50m, the history of radiotherapy, images related to the radiotherapy plans, and images generated during radiotherapy. Images related to the radiotherapy plans include, for example, CT images of patients taken by a radiotherapy planning CT device (not shown) located at the large-scale cancer center LCC or an external facility. When it is difficult to identify the extent of the tumor, medical images taken by an MRI device (not shown) or a PET-CT device (not shown) may be added to these. The oncology information system 10 also manages all information related to radiotherapy, such as the radiotherapy schedule for executing radiotherapy based on the radiotherapy plan. For example, the oncology information system 10 creates information on the radiotherapy device used for radiotherapy, a radiotherapy schedule, and a list of each radiotherapy task, and follows each step. The oncology information system 10 also registers the goals of the radiotherapy plan. Specifically, these include treatment techniques, dose targets for each target, margin information for each target, dose constraints for each risk organ (OAR), and the number of fractions.

[0030] The beammodel DB20 is a database that stores beam modeling data for each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z located at external facilities. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the beammodel DB20 stores the associated ID of each radiotherapy device 6A to 6Z with the beam modeling data for each radiotherapy device 6A to 6Z. Details of the beam modeling data are as described above. The beammodel DB20 is used for each of the n radiotherapy planning devices 50n to 50z used for remote radiotherapy planning, among the radiotherapy planning devices 501 to 50z. However, the number of radiotherapy planning devices 50n to 50z is not limited to n units; any number of devices less than the number of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z is acceptable. The beam model DB20 is an example of a first database connected to the radiotherapy planning system 50n~50z, which stores information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A~6Z and the beam modeling data for each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A~6Z in association with each of them. Furthermore, the information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices in the first database may be identification information that identifies each of the multiple radiotherapy devices.

[0031] Furthermore, among the radiotherapy planning devices 501-50z, each of the m-series radiotherapy planning devices 501-50m corresponds one-to-one with each of the radiotherapy devices 601-60m within the Large Cancer Center LCC.

[0032] The treatment plan format DB30 is a database that stores data for treatment plan formats corresponding to each type of radiotherapy device 6A to 6Z. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the treatment plan format DB30 stores data in association with each type of radiotherapy device 6A to 6Z (e.g., combination of manufacturer, model, energy, MLC, and flattening filter). However, the treatment plan format DB30 may also be configured to store data in association with each radiotherapy device ID of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z, as shown in Figure 5. Details of the treatment plan format data are as described above. The treatment plan format DB30 is used for each of the multiple radiotherapy planning devices 50n to 50z for remote radiotherapy planning. The treatment plan format DB30 is an example of a second database connected to the radiotherapy planning devices 50n-50z, which stores information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z and the corresponding treatment plan format for each type of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z. In the example shown in Figure 4, the information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z in the second database is type information indicating the type of each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z. In the example shown in Figure 5, the information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z in the second database is identification information that identifies each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z. The treatment plan format will be the same if the specifications, such as the manufacturer, model, and selectable energy, are the same.

[0033] The radiation therapy device specification DB40 is a database that stores specification data corresponding to each type of radiation therapy device 6A to 6Z. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the radiation therapy device specification DB40 stores each type of radiation therapy device 6A to 6Z (e.g., combination of manufacturer, model, energy, MLC, flattening filter) in association with the specification data for each radiation therapy device 6A to 6Z. However, the radiation therapy device specification DB40 may also be configured to store each radiation therapy device ID of radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z in association with the specification data corresponding to each type of radiation therapy device 6A to 6Z, as shown in Figure 7. Details of the specification data for radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z are as described above. The radiation therapy device specification DB40 is used for each of the multiple radiation therapy planning devices 50n to 50z for remote radiation therapy planning. The radiation therapy device specification DB40 is an example of a third database connected to the radiation therapy planning system 50n~50z, which stores information about each of the multiple radiation therapy devices 6A~6Z and specification data corresponding to each type of the multiple radiation therapy devices 6A~6Z in association with each other. In the example shown in Figure 6, the information about each of the multiple radiation therapy devices 6A~6Z in the third database is type information indicating the type of each of the multiple radiation therapy devices 6A~6Z. In the example shown in Figure 7, the information about each of the multiple radiation therapy devices 6A~6Z in the third database is identification information that identifies each of the multiple radiation therapy devices 6A~6Z.

[0034] The radiation therapy planning system 501-50z comprises m units of radiation therapy planning systems 501-50m for radiation therapy devices 601-60m within the large-scale cancer center LCC, and n units of radiation therapy planning systems 50n-50z for radiation therapy devices 6A-6Z at external facilities.

[0035] Each of the radiotherapy planning devices 501 to 50m is arranged to correspond one-to-one with each of the radiotherapy devices 601 to 60m, as shown in the smallest digit of the reference code. For example, each of the radiotherapy planning devices 501 to 50m stores beam modeling data, treatment plan format data, and radiotherapy device specification data for the corresponding radiotherapy device 601 to 60m in a memory that is not shown. Furthermore, each of the radiotherapy planning devices 501 to 50m creates a radiotherapy plan for the corresponding radiotherapy device 601 to 60m based on the contents of the memory. Each of the radiotherapy planning devices 501 to 50m can appropriately use two methods when creating a radiotherapy plan: forward planning and inverse planning. In forward planning, the user (radiophysicist or radiation oncologist) determines multiple irradiation angles, doses at each angle, the shape of the MLC (Multi-leaf Collimator), etc., and the computer (radiation planning device) calculates the dose distribution under those conditions. Forward planning is a method in which the user repeatedly performs this process, making small changes to the conditions, until the target dose distribution for the radiation therapy plan is achieved. The parameters that can be selected in forward planning, specifically irradiation angle, energy, and beam intensity, are determined based on the specifications data of the radiation therapy equipment.

[0036] On the other hand, inverse planning is a method in which the user determines multiple irradiation angles, and then the computer (radiation therapy planning system) automatically changes the conditions (dose intensity for each irradiation angle, MLC shape, dynamic movement of the MLC during irradiation, etc.) and repeatedly calculates how to satisfy the target dose distribution of the radiation therapy plan, repeating the trial and error process until the dose conditions are finally satisfied. In the case of inverse planning as well, the software recognizes parameters such as irradiation angle, energy, beam intensity, rotational irradiation angle range, rotational speed change range, and MLC specifications (dynamic MLC or stationary MLC), and by adjusting these parameters, it identifies irradiation conditions that can achieve the target dose distribution. These parameters and their possible ranges are stored as radiation therapy system specification data. Dynamic MLC means that the MLC moves dynamically during beam irradiation. Stationary MLC means that the MLC remains stationary during beam irradiation. Even with a stationary MLC, it is possible to create intensity-modulated beams similar to those of a dynamic MLC. Specifically, if a dynamic MLC is used to irradiate a beam for 10 seconds while the MLC is moved at a nearly constant speed, a similar intensity-modulated beam can be formed by irradiating the MLC for 2 seconds at each of the MLC shapes after 1 second, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 7 seconds, and 9 seconds. However, this takes a longer time compared to the irradiation time with a dynamic MLC. The rotational irradiation angle range refers to the range of angles in which the VMAT can rotate. For example, in a general-purpose LINAC (also called a C-arm type device), if the direction from the isocenter towards the rotation axis of the C-arm is the y-axis (which roughly coincides with the patient's body axis when the bed is in its normal position), the direction from the isocenter towards the left of the patient (when the bed is in its normal position) is the x-axis, and the direction perpendicular from the isocenter towards the ceiling is the z-axis, then the general-purpose LINAC can mechanically rotate around the y-axis. On the other hand, for the patient, for example, when the bed is in its normal treatment position, the y-axis and the body axis coincide. However, when the bed is rotated around the z, x, or y axis, even if the mechanical rotation is the same around the y axis, the rotation around the patient changes. In this way, the general-purpose LINAC has a high degree of freedom.On the other hand, in IMRT / VMAT-dedicated devices (also called O-ring type devices) where a linear accelerator and X-ray imaging system are configured within a gantry like a CT scanner, the patient bed is similarly placed inside the O-ring. If the patient is lying on their back, and the axis from the isocenter towards the top of the patient's head is the y-axis, the axis from the isocenter towards the left side of the patient is the x-axis, and the axis perpendicular from the isocenter to the ceiling is the z-axis, then the LINAC can only rotate around the y-axis, and the rotation angle of the bed is significantly limited compared to a general-purpose LINAC. Data based on the specifications and performance of the device mechanism is stored as radiation therapy device specification data, and by adjusting parameters within the operating range (condition search range) based on this data, the irradiation method that can achieve the target is determined. In the future, radiation therapy plans will basically employ inverse planning, except in cases where the dose constraints are very complex. Furthermore, each of the radiation therapy planning devices 501 to 50m sends the created radiation therapy plan to the oncology information system 10.

[0037] Each of the radiotherapy devices 601-60m is managed by the oncology information system 10, and each device performs radiotherapy on the patient based on the radiotherapy plan created by its corresponding radiotherapy planning device 501-50m.

[0038] On the other hand, each of the n radiotherapy planning systems 50n to 50z can create radiotherapy plans for each of the radiotherapy systems 6A to 6Z based on the stored contents of the beam model DB20, treatment plan format DB30, and radiotherapy system specification DB40. Each of the radiotherapy planning systems 50n to 50z can use the inverse planning method when creating a radiotherapy plan. As mentioned above, the number of radiotherapy planning systems 50n to 50z is not limited to n units, but can be any number of units less than the number of radiotherapy systems 6A to 6Z. Also, the radiotherapy planning system may be called a TPS. TPS is an abbreviation for Treatment Planning System.

[0039] Next, we will describe the configuration of the radiotherapy planning systems 50n to 50z. Since each of the radiotherapy planning systems 50n to 50z has the same configuration, we will use the radiotherapy planning system 50s as a representative example for explanation.

[0040] As shown in Figure 8, the radiation therapy planning device 50s includes a processing circuit 51, a storage device 52, a display device 53, an input device 54, and a communication device 55.

[0041] The storage device 52 consists of storage devices such as ROM (Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage device 52 stores various programs and various data. As for the various programs, for example, a program for creating a radiation therapy plan, such as fully automatic or semi-automatic treatment planning software, may be used.

[0042] The display device 53 consists of display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, and an organic electroluminescent display (OELD). The display device 53 displays various information under the control of the processing circuit 51. The display device 53 is an example of a display unit.

[0043] The input device 54 consists of input interface devices such as a mouse, keyboard, trackball, switch, button, joystick, touchpad, and touch panel display. The input device 54 receives various input operations from the user and supplies electrical signals corresponding to the received input operations to the processing circuit 51.

[0044] The communication device 55 consists of a communication interface device that performs network communication, such as a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication device 55 receives data such as treatment plan creation requests and medical images supplied from, for example, the oncology information systems 1A to 1Z of external facilities. Also, for example, the communication device 55 transmits the created radiation therapy plan to the sender of the treatment plan creation request.

[0045] The processing circuit 51 has a processor consisting of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The processing circuit 51 controls the entire radiotherapy planning device 50s by controlling each part of the radiotherapy planning device 50s. In addition, the processing circuit 51 implements the acquisition function 511, selection function 512, creation function 513, communication function 514, and display control function 515 by executing a program stored in the storage device 52. Some or all of each of the functions 511-515 may be configured by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0046] The acquisition function 511 acquires beam modeling data for a specific radiotherapy device 6X based on information about that specific radiotherapy device 6X, which is one of several radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z distributed across multiple facilities. For example, the acquisition function 511 may be connected to a beam model DB 20 and acquire beam modeling data for that specific radiotherapy device 6X from the beam model DB 20 based on information about that specific radiotherapy device 6X. Specifically, the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X may include a radiotherapy device ID (identification information) that identifies the specific radiotherapy device 6X, and the acquisition function 511 may acquire beam modeling data from the beam model DB 20 based on the radiotherapy device ID included in the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X. The information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X may, for example, be a request to create a radiotherapy plan for that specific radiotherapy device 6X. Note that the specific radiotherapy device 6X is just an example, and any radiotherapy device from the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z may be used as the specific radiotherapy device. The fact that the specific radiotherapy device 6X is just an example is common throughout this specification. The acquisition function 511 and processing circuit 51 are examples of an acquisition unit.

[0047] The selection function 512 selects a treatment plan format corresponding to a specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from among the treatment plan formats corresponding to each of the multiple types of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z, based on information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X. For example, the selection function 512 may be connected to a treatment plan format DB 30 and select a treatment plan format corresponding to a specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from the treatment plan format DB 30 based on information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X. Specifically, a treatment plan format DB 30 as shown in Figure 4 may be used, and the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X may include type information indicating the type of radiotherapy device 6X. In this case, the selection function 512 may select a treatment plan format from the treatment plan format DB 30 based on the type information included in the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X. Alternatively, a treatment plan format DB 30 as shown in Figure 5 may be used, and the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X may include a radiotherapy device ID that identifies the specific radiotherapy device 6X. In this case, the selection function 512 may select a treatment plan format from the treatment plan format DB30 based on the radiotherapy device ID contained in the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X. The selection function 512 and the processing circuit 51 are examples of the first selection unit.

[0048] Furthermore, the selection function 512 selects specification data corresponding to the specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from among the specification data corresponding to each of the multiple types of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z, based on information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X. For example, the selection function 512 may be connected to the radiotherapy device specification DB 40, and based on information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X, it may select specification data corresponding to the specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from the radiotherapy device specification DB 40. Specifically, a radiotherapy device specification DB 40 as shown in Figure 6 may be used, and the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X may include type information indicating the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X. In this case, the selection function 512 may select specification data from the radiotherapy device specification DB 40 based on the type information included in the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Alternatively, a radiotherapy device specification DB 40 as shown in Figure 7 may be used, and the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X may include a radiotherapy device ID that identifies the specific radiotherapy device 6X. In this case, the selection function 512 may select specification data from the radiotherapy device specification DB 40 based on the radiotherapy device ID contained in the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X. The selection function 512 and the processing circuit 51 are an example of a second selection unit.

[0049] The creation function 513 creates a radiotherapy plan to be used for a specific radiotherapy device 6X based on the acquired beam modeling data, the selected treatment plan format, and the selected specification data. The creation function 513 may also determine whether the beam modeling data used to create the radiotherapy plan is appropriate. Specifically, the creation function 513 may add information identifying the beam modeling data used to create the radiotherapy plan, or unique information of the specific radiotherapy device 6X possessing the beam modeling data, as additional information to the created radiotherapy plan, and determine whether the beam modeling data is appropriate based on whether the additional information is appropriate. The creation function 513 may also discard the created radiotherapy plan if the additional information is inappropriate. Furthermore, if the beam modeling data is appropriate, the creation function 513 may identify the specific radiotherapy device 6X, or the radiotherapy support device (oncology information system 1X) corresponding to the specific radiotherapy device 6X, and set the identified device as the destination for sending the created radiotherapy plan. To elaborate, a radiation therapy plan may be created using the beam modeling data, specification data, and treatment plan format of a radiation therapy device other than the specific radiation therapy device 6X, and the destination of the created radiation therapy plan may be set so that the specific radiation therapy device 6X does not perform radiation therapy using the radiation therapy plan of the other device. The destination may be retrieved from the storage device 52 by associating each radiation therapy device ID of radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z with each destination address of radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z and storing them in the storage device 52. In other words, it may be retrieved from the storage device 52 based on the radiation therapy device ID associated with the beam modeling data in the beam model DB 20. Alternatively, the destination may be the sender address (oncology information system 1X) of the received treatment plan creation request. The creation function 513 and processing circuit 51 are examples of the creation unit.

[0050] The communication function 514 transmits and receives information with other devices via the communication equipment 55. The communication function 514 and the processing circuit 51 are an example of a transmitting unit.

[0051] The display control function 515 causes various information to be displayed on the display device 53. The display control function 515 and the processing circuit 51 are an example of a display control unit.

[0052] Next, the operation of the radiotherapy planning system configured as described above will be explained using the sequence diagram in Figure 9. The following explanation will use the example of creating a radiotherapy plan for radiotherapy at X Hospital XH using the Large-Scale Cancer Center LCC.

[0053] At Hospital XH, once a patient's radiation therapy is decided, the necessary data is registered in the oncology information system 1X using a terminal (not shown). Since Hospital XH does not have a full-time radiation oncologist, a part-time radiation oncologist may register the data, or a radiation oncologist from the large-scale cancer center LCC may register the data in Hospital XH's oncology information system 1X using a remote monitor or similar device.

[0054] The Oncology Information System 1X creates information on the radiotherapy equipment used for radiation therapy, a radiation therapy schedule, and a list of each task in radiation therapy, and tracks each step. The Oncology Information System 1X also registers radiation therapy plan objectives. Specifically, treatment techniques, dose targets for each target, margin information for each target, dose constraints for each organ at risk (OAR), and the number of fractions are registered in the Oncology Information System 1X.

[0055] (Step ST1) The first step in radiation therapy is CT imaging for radiation therapy planning. In the CT room for radiation therapy planning at Hospital XH, medical staff create patient immobilization devices. These devices support the patient to prevent movement during radiation therapy and include devices that cover and fix the patient from above, and devices that the patient lies on to fix their body shape when lying on the treatment table. Once the patient immobilization devices are created, the medical staff set them on the treatment table of the CT system for radiation therapy planning, just as they would be used during radiation therapy, and the CT system for radiation therapy planning takes planning CT images of the patient. Once the planning CT images are created, they are transferred to the oncology information system 1X.

[0056] (Step ST2) The second step in radiotherapy is the creation of a radiotherapy plan. Similar to a typical configuration, there is a one-to-one relationship between radiotherapy devices 601-60m and radiotherapy planning devices 501-50m. In contrast, in one embodiment, there is no one-to-one relationship between the n radiotherapy planning devices 50n-50z and the 26 radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z. Each of the radiotherapy planning devices 50n-50z can create a radiotherapy plan for each of the radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z if available. The following example describes the case where a radiotherapy plan is created using radiotherapy planning device 50s. The oncology information system 1X transmits a request for radiotherapy plan creation and planning CT images to the corresponding radiotherapy planning device 50s.

[0057] Furthermore, the radiation therapy plan request includes personal information such as the patient's name, and CT images may allow facial recognition depending on the area, thus containing information that requires protection. Therefore, even when using the general network Nw1, it is necessary to establish a secure environment, such as by using a VPN (virtual private network). In addition, the radiation therapy plan request includes information about the specific radiation therapy device 6X.

[0058] Furthermore, in some cases, it is difficult to distinguish between tumors and normal tissue using only the transmitted planning CT images. In such cases, Hospital XH may acquire medical images of the patient (MRI images, PET-CT images) in addition to the planning CT images and transmit them to the radiotherapy planning system 50s. This is because these medical images are aligned with the planning CT images, and the tumor boundaries that can be identified in these medical images are used to draw the tumor boundaries on the planning CT images.

[0059] (Step ST3) In the radiotherapy planning system 50s, upon receiving a request for radiotherapy planning and planning CT images, it reserves space for the patient's radiotherapy in a database (not shown) and registers the information necessary for creating the radiotherapy plan included in the request. Furthermore, the processing circuit 51 of the radiotherapy planning system 50s obtains information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X from the radiotherapy planning request. This information may include a radiotherapy device ID that identifies the specific radiotherapy device 6X. It may also include type information indicating the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Based on the acquired information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X, the processing circuit 51 can obtain or select beam modeling data, treatment plan format, and specification data from each DB 20-40.

[0060] Radiation therapy planning consists of two steps: contouring and treatment plan creation. Contouring is a term used in the field of radiation therapy, and is generally called segmentation. Contouring refers to the contouring process performed by radiation oncologists. Specifically, contouring involves creating contours of areas identified as tumors macroscopically and areas of organs at risk, based on planning CT images or other medical images (MRI images, PET-CT images, etc.). These contours can be drawn manually by radiation oncologists or automatically based on CT value information, organ shape, etc. In recent years, AI-based automatic contouring functions have developed, and it has become possible to create contours to a certain extent automatically, especially for organs at risk. In the future, it may be possible to similarly create tumor contours automatically using AI-based software. If this happens, the burden of contouring on radiation oncologists will be significantly reduced, and they can check the results of automatic contouring and create contours manually only when necessary. Alternatively, radiation oncologists can expect to be able to create contours semi-automatically by roughly specifying a certain range and then automatically extracting contours from within that range. Once the area identified as a tumor macroscopically is determined, the planning target volume (PTV) is determined by considering the area of ​​potential malignant tumor to be treated and all uncertainties.

[0061] (Step ST4) Before creating a radiation therapy plan, the processing circuit 51 of the radiation therapy planning device 50s acquires beam modeling data from the beam model DB 20 based on the radiation therapy device ID contained in the information of a specific radiation therapy device 6X. Based on this, the processing circuit 51 calculates the dose distribution inside the subject based on the acquired beam modeling data.

[0062] (Step ST5) Furthermore, the condition search range during inverse planning corresponds to the specification data registered in the radiation therapy device specification DB40. Therefore, the processing circuit 51 selects specification data from the radiation therapy device specification DB40 based on the type information contained in the information about a specific radiation therapy device 6X. Based on this, the processing circuit 51 determines the condition change range based on the selected specification data. However, the processing circuit 51 may also select specification data from the radiation therapy device specification DB40 based on the radiation therapy device ID contained in the information about a specific radiation therapy device 6X.

[0063] Furthermore, while step ST4 initially described the case where the radiation oncologist specifies multiple irradiation angles, it is not limited to this. For example, the processing circuit 51 may automatically identify the irradiation angle by referencing irradiation angles in similar cases by running fully automated treatment planning software.

[0064] (Step ST6) Next, the creation of a treatment plan begins. Inverse planning is employed for creating the treatment plan. In inverse planning, when a radiation oncologist or treatment planning software specifies multiple irradiation angles, the radiation therapy planning system 50s automatically and repeatedly calculates, while changing the conditions (dose intensity, MLC shape, etc.) for each of the specified irradiation angles, to satisfy the dose requirements, and repeats the trial and error process until the dose requirements are finally satisfied.

[0065] (Step ST7) The processing circuit 51 selects a treatment plan format from the treatment plan format DB30 based on the type information contained in the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X. However, the processing circuit 51 may also select a treatment plan format from the treatment plan format DB30 based on the radiotherapy device ID contained in the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X.

[0066] (Step ST8) The processing circuit 51 creates a radiotherapy plan by writing the data for performing radiotherapy into a treatment plan format based on the results of the inverse planning. This completes the radiotherapy plan. Upon completion of the radiotherapy plan, the status of the radiotherapy plan in the task list changes to "completed," and the system proceeds to the next step.

[0067] (Step ST9) The next step is the approval of the radiation therapy plan. In this step, the radiation therapy planning system 50s displays the created radiation therapy plan on the display device 53. This allows a highly skilled radiation oncologist to check the created radiation therapy plan (contouring, dose distribution, DVH (Dose Volume Histogram), etc.) and confirm that it matches the treatment objectives. After confirmation, if it matches the treatment objectives, the radiation oncologist approves the created radiation therapy plan. If it does not match, the radiation therapy plan is rejected and instructed to be recreated by the radiation therapy planning system 50s. At this time, the radiation oncologist inputs guidelines for improving the treatment objectives into the radiation therapy planning system 50s.

[0068] Furthermore, before approving or rejecting a radiotherapy plan, the processing circuit 51 of the radiotherapy planning device 50s may determine whether the beam modeling data used to create the radiotherapy plan is appropriate. Specifically, the processing circuit 51 may add information identifying the beam modeling data used to create the radiotherapy plan, or specific information of a particular radiotherapy device 6X possessing the beam modeling data, as additional information to the created radiotherapy plan, and determine whether the beam modeling data is appropriate depending on whether the additional information is appropriate. If the additional information is not appropriate, the processing circuit 51 may discard (reject) the created radiotherapy plan. If the beam modeling data is appropriate, the processing circuit 51 may identify a specific radiotherapy device 6X, or a server device (oncology information system 1X) corresponding to that specific radiotherapy device 6X, and set the identified device as the destination for the created radiotherapy plan.

[0069] Once the radiation therapy plan is approved, the status of "Radiation Therapy Plan Approval" in the task list will change to "Completed," and you will proceed to the next step.

[0070] (Step ST10) The next step is the calculation of the dose distribution for patient QA. In this step, the radiation therapy planning system 50s calculates the radiation dose distribution at a specific location when a treatment plan created using a specific phantom is implemented. For example, it assumes that a treatment plan is implemented using a phantom in which multiple semiconductor detectors are configured in a three-dimensional space inside a cylindrical structure, and calculates the radiation dose distribution under those conditions. This step may be performed manually by medical staff other than radiation oncologists (e.g., radiation physicists, radiologic technologists), or it may be performed automatically by a program if the phantom and verification method are predetermined. Once the calculation of the dose distribution for patient QA is complete, the status of the calculation in the task list will change to "Completed," and the system will proceed to the next step.

[0071] (Step ST11) The next step is the transfer of data created by the radiotherapy planning device 50s to the oncology information system 1X. The radiotherapy planning device 50s transfers the created radiotherapy plan, radiation dose distribution, and calculated patient QA dose distribution to the oncology information system 1X within Hospital XH. The command for the transfer may be manually entered into the radiotherapy planning device 50s by the medical staff who manually created the patient QA dose distribution. Alternatively, it may be automatically started as a background process starting from the completion status of the patient QA dose distribution calculation. Furthermore, this transfer may be performed not only by the radiotherapy planning device 50s but also by the oncology information system 10 within the large-scale cancer center LCC.

[0072] (Step ST12) Once all the necessary data is available in the oncology information system 1X at Hospital XH, the next step is patient QA. The radiotherapy device 6X at Hospital XH uses a specific phantom and measures the radiation dose distribution at a specific location based on the transferred treatment plan. The measured dose distribution data for patient QA is transferred to a computer terminal (not shown) for patient QA analysis. This computer terminal compares the calculated dose distribution for patient QA with the measured dose distribution for patient QA, and if there is no error exceeding an acceptable range between the two, it is deemed acceptable. If it is acceptable, patient QA is completed. If it is unacceptable, a warning message is displayed on at least one of the devices, for example, the radiotherapy device 6X or the oncology information system 1X. When a warning message is displayed, the radiation oncologist is first informed that there is a possibility that the plan was created with "inappropriate beam modeling data, inappropriate specification data, or an inappropriate treatment plan format." Inappropriate beam modeling data may be, for example, beam modeling data from another radiotherapy device. Inappropriate specification data may be, for example, specification data from another radiotherapy device. An inappropriate treatment plan format is, for example, a treatment plan format for a different radiotherapy device. After presentation, a radiation oncologist or radiation physicist will check whether to re-approve the radiotherapy plan. If no problems are found, the patient QA will be completed as in the case of approval. If problems are found, corrective measures will be taken if necessary (replanning may be required), and the plan will be reviewed again (patient QA). Once the status of the patient QA is complete, step ST12 is completed. This completes the preparation for radiotherapy.

[0073] (Radiation therapy) On the first day of radiation therapy at X Hospital XH, the therapy is usually performed by two radiologic technologists (hereinafter referred to as staff). While one staff member prepares for the treatment, the other staff member escorts the patient receiving radiation therapy from the waiting room to the treatment room. Treatment preparation involves transferring data necessary for radiation therapy, such as treatment plan data and planning CT images from the oncology information system 1X, to the radiation therapy device 6X, and preparing the patient restraint devices to be used during radiation therapy. The patient restraint devices have barcodes attached to them, for example, and the restraint device information transferred to the radiation therapy device 6X is referenced (scanned with a barcode reader) to prevent mix-ups of patient restraint devices. There are two types of patient restraint devices: those that cover the patient from above and those that are placed under the patient. The type of restraint device that is placed under the patient is set in its designated position on the treatment table at this stage.

[0074] When a patient enters the radiation therapy room, their name is confirmed to prevent any misidentification. After confirming the patient's name, they are placed on the treatment table. At this time, the table only lowers to a certain height, so two or one staff member will support the patient as needed. Once the patient is on the table, the staff will attach a restraint device that covers the patient from above.

[0075] After confirming that the two types of patient restraints are properly set on the patient placed on the treatment table, the table is moved to position the patient in the treatment area. Next, the marker drawn on the patient's body surface (center position of the planning CT image) is aligned with the laser marker. Then, the displacement vector between the center of the planning CT image and the center of the target is calculated, and the treatment table is moved according to the displacement vector. Assuming that the patient is in the exact same position as during the CT scan and that the tumor inside the patient is in the exact same position, it is assumed that the tumor is at the position indicated by the laser marker after the table has been moved. Therefore, the position is marked again with a marker at the position indicated by the laser marker. From the second treatment onward, the alignment is performed so that this marker and the laser marker coincide.

[0076] Next, the gantry angle of the 6X radiotherapy device is set to the first irradiation angle of the radiation (the starting angle of rotational irradiation in the case of VMAT), and two-way X-ray imaging (with rotation and a change in angle) or rotational X-ray imaging is performed to identify the discrepancy between the position indicated by the laser marker (isocenter) and the position of the tumor in the body. The isocenter is the position through which the center of the beam passes when the beam is irradiated from various irradiation angles. In radiotherapy, the center of the target is positioned at this isocenter for treatment.

[0077] Two-view X-ray imaging creates two DRR images, which are calculated from a planning CT image at different angles, as if the target were centered on the image. These two DRR images are then compared with the X-ray images taken from the two directions to identify positional displacement, primarily based on the misalignment of bone structures. DRR stands for Digitally Reconstructed Radiographs. The two-view imaging method is based on the premise that the positional relationship between the bone near the tumor and the tumor itself does not shift.

[0078] On the other hand, rotational radiography using X-rays involves cone-beam CT reconstruction (CBCT reconstruction) to create CBCT images. While these CBCT images have some error in CT values ​​compared to the planning CT images, they accurately reproduce the shape of organs. Therefore, rotational radiography compares the organ positions in the planning CT images with those in the CBCT images to identify any discrepancies. The rotational radiography method is fundamentally based on the premise that the position of the tumor within the organ containing it does not shift.

[0079] By identifying the misalignment using two-directional or rotational imaging, the misalignment is corrected by shifting or rotating the examination table, adjusting it so that the target center and the isocenter coincide.

[0080] When the target center and isocenter coincide, the radiotherapy device 6X begins irradiating with a radiation beam from the first irradiation angle. If the target is affected by respiratory movements, methods such as irradiating with the radiation beam only when the breath is held, or measuring respiratory movements with a detector and irradiating only when the respiration is within a specific phase range, are employed.

[0081] Once the radiation beam irradiation from the first irradiation angle is complete, the gantry angle of the 6X radiation therapy device is set to the second irradiation angle (the starting angle of rotational irradiation in the case of VMAT), and radiation beam irradiation is performed at the second irradiation angle.

[0082] Similarly, radiation beam irradiation is performed at the third, fourth, ... irradiation angles, and once radiation beam irradiation has been performed at all irradiation angles required in the radiation therapy plan, the first day of treatment is complete.

[0083] Similarly, treatment is typically administered five times a week on weekdays for six weeks, starting on the second day, third day, and so on, completing a series of 30 radiation therapy sessions. This number of sessions may vary depending on other treatments used in combination or the radiation dose per session. For example, in cases of combination therapy with chemotherapy (anti-cancer drug treatment), if side effects from both the chemotherapy and radiation therapy appear in the same area, radiation therapy may be reduced from the usual five times a week to three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Alternatively, while the usual dose to the target is 2 Gy, there are cases where 5 Gy is administered at once, completing the treatment in one week (five sessions) (for example, in the case of low-risk prostate cancer).

[0084] During treatment, the radiation oncologist will regularly examine the patient to check the effectiveness of the radiation therapy and the extent of any side effects. They may also examine the patient irregularly if the patient complains of pain or other issues.

[0085] Once the series of radiation therapies is completed, the first step is to check the effectiveness of the treatment on the tumor using an X-ray diagnostic device. If a certain level of therapeutic effect is confirmed, then regular follow-up (examinations, diagnostic image collection, etc.) is performed thereafter.

[0086] As described above, according to one embodiment, the processing circuit 51 acquires beam modeling data for a specific radiotherapy device 6X based on information about that specific radiotherapy device 6X among a plurality of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z distributed across multiple facilities. Based on the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X, the processing circuit 51 selects a treatment plan format corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X from among the treatment plan formats corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. Based on the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X, the processing circuit 51 selects specification data corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X from among the specification data corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. Based on the acquired beam modeling data, the selected treatment plan format, and the selected specification data, the processing circuit 51 creates a radiotherapy plan to be used for the specific radiotherapy device 6X.

[0087] In this way, the processing circuit 51 creates a radiation therapy plan based on beam modeling data, treatment plan format, and specification data acquired based on information about a specific radiation therapy device 6X among multiple radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z that are arranged in a distributed manner. Therefore, it is not necessary to operate various radiation therapy planning devices that have a one-to-one relationship with various radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z, and the radiation therapy plan for radiation therapy device 6X can be created remotely.

[0088] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the processing circuit 51 is connected to a beam model DB 20 that stores information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in association with the beam modeling data for each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. Based on information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X, the processing circuit 51 acquires beam modeling data for that specific radiotherapy device 6X from the beam model DB 20. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to acquire beam modeling data for a specific radiotherapy device 6X from the beam model DB 20 among the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z that are distributed together.

[0089] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes a radiotherapy device ID that identifies the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Information regarding each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in the beam model DB20 is a radiotherapy device ID that identifies each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. The processing circuit 51 acquires beam modeling data from the beam model DB20 based on the radiotherapy device ID included in the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, by using the radiotherapy device ID of the specific radiotherapy device 6X, beam modeling data for the specific radiotherapy device 6X can be acquired from the beam model DB20.

[0090] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the processing circuit 51 is connected to a treatment plan format DB30 that stores information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in association with a treatment plan format corresponding to each type of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. Based on information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X, the processing circuit 51 selects a treatment plan format corresponding to a specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from the treatment plan format DB30. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to select a treatment plan format corresponding to a specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from the treatment plan format DB30 among the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z that are arranged in a distributed manner.

[0091] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes type information indicating the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X. The information regarding each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in the treatment plan format DB30 is type information indicating the type of each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. The processing circuit 51 selects a treatment plan format from the treatment plan format DB30 based on the type information included in the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, by using the type information of the specific radiotherapy device 6X, it is possible to select a treatment plan format corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X from the treatment plan format DB30.

[0092] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes a radiotherapy device ID that identifies the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Information regarding each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in the treatment plan format DB30 is a radiotherapy device ID that identifies each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. The processing circuit 51 selects a treatment plan format from the treatment plan format DB30 based on the radiotherapy device ID included in the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, by using the radiotherapy device ID of a specific radiotherapy device 6X, it is possible to select a treatment plan format corresponding to the type of specific radiotherapy device 6X from the treatment plan format DB30.

[0093] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the processing circuit 51 is connected to a radiotherapy device specification DB 40, which stores information about each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in association with specification data corresponding to each type of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. Based on information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X, the processing circuit 51 selects specification data corresponding to a specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from the radiotherapy device specification DB 40. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to select specification data corresponding to a specific type of radiotherapy device 6X from the radiotherapy device specification DB 40 among the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z that are distributed together.

[0094] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes type information indicating the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X. The information regarding each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in the radiotherapy device specification DB40 is type information indicating the type of each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. The processing circuit 51 selects specification data from the radiotherapy device specification DB40 based on the type information included in the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, by using the type information of the specific radiotherapy device 6X, it is possible to select specification data corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X from the radiotherapy device specification DB40.

[0095] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes a radiotherapy device ID that identifies the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Information regarding each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in the radiotherapy device specification DB40 is a radiotherapy device ID that identifies each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. The processing circuit 51 selects specification data from the radiotherapy device specification DB40 based on the radiotherapy device ID included in the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device 6X. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, by using the radiotherapy device ID of a specific radiotherapy device 6X, it is possible to select specification data corresponding to the type of a specific radiotherapy device 6X from the radiotherapy device specification DB40.

[0096] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the processing circuit 51 determines whether the beam modeling data used to create the radiation therapy plan is appropriate. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, if the beam modeling data is inappropriate, it becomes possible to avoid approving an inappropriate radiation therapy plan created based on that inappropriate beam modeling data.

[0097] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the processing circuit 51 adds to the created radiotherapy plan information that identifies the beam modeling data used to create the radiotherapy plan, or specific information of a particular radiotherapy device 6X that possesses the beam modeling data, as additional information, and determines whether the beam modeling data is appropriate based on whether the additional information is appropriate. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, it becomes possible to determine whether the beam modeling data is appropriate using the additional information of the radiotherapy plan.

[0098] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the processing circuit 51 discards the created radiotherapy plan if the additional information is inappropriate. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to discard inappropriate radiotherapy plans created based on inappropriate beam modeling data.

[0099] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, if the beam modeling data is appropriate, the processing circuit 51 identifies a specific radiotherapy device 6X or a radiotherapy support device corresponding to that specific radiotherapy device, and sets the identified device as the destination for the created radiotherapy plan. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, an appropriate destination can be set for the created radiotherapy plan.

[0100] Next, I will provide some supplementary information regarding the background of the embodiment described above.

[0101] The intensity and distribution of radiation beams vary significantly depending on the manufacturer, model, and configuration of the 6A-6Z radiotherapy devices. Furthermore, even with the same manufacturer, model, and configuration, the intensity and distribution of the radiation beams may change due to ambient environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, as well as individual differences. Therefore, for the 6A-6Z radiotherapy devices, beam modeling data is created taking these influences into account. Beam modeling allows for the reproduction of the X-ray intensity distribution at a specific distance from the X-ray focal point when X-rays are irradiated at a specific energy (depending on the model, one or three types can be selected from 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 15 / 18 / 20 / 22 MeV, for example) and under specific conditions (presence or absence of primary collimator, MLC (multi-leaf collimator), and flattening filter). Based on this data, the radiation dose distribution within a specific patient can be calculated.

[0102] Furthermore, the conditions that can be changed vary depending on the manufacturer, model, and configuration of the 6A-6Z radiotherapy systems. Firstly, a major difference is that there are differences in the conditions that can be changed between different types of 6A-6Z radiotherapy systems. For example, the general-purpose LINAC has a C-arm type rotation mechanism, offering relatively high flexibility in the rotation range of the treatment table. As a result, the beam irradiation angle can be selected from a fairly wide range, with the exception of a few angles. In contrast, the IMRT / VMAT dedicated system has a ring-shaped design, with the beam accelerator and imaging system configured within a gantry similar to a CT scanner. Also, the treatment table of the IMRT / VMAT dedicated system is shaped like a CT scanner, and treatment is performed inside the gantry. Therefore, the rotation range of the treatment table of the IMRT / VMAT dedicated system is considerably more limited compared to the general-purpose LINAC.

[0103] On the other hand, even within the same type of radiotherapy device (6A-6Z), there are differences in the conditions that can be changed. For example, even with the same general-purpose LINAC system, the irradiation beam energy differs. Specifically, one general-purpose LINAC system allows you to select three usable energies from 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 15 / 18 / 20 / 22 MeV. Therefore, hospitals that prioritize diseases with shallow lesions can choose 4 / 6 / 10 MeV, standard hospitals in Japan can choose 6 / 8 / 10 MeV, and overseas hospitals with many large-bodied patients can choose 8 / 12 / 18 MeV. In contrast, IMRT / VMAT-dedicated devices may be limited to using only 6 MeV.

[0104] Furthermore, radiotherapy devices 6A-6Z have specific radiotherapy planning formats depending on the manufacturer, model, and configuration. For example, even within the same manufacturer and model, several patterns of radiotherapy planning formats are required depending on the options. For instance, different MLC configurations result in different radiotherapy planning formats. Specifically, an MLC with a 10mm leaf width at the iso-center position and an MLC with a 5mm leaf width will have different leaf configurations. Since each MLC configuration requires positional data for each leaf in the radiotherapy plan, the amount of data for the two radiotherapy plans will differ. Moreover, for example, between a configuration where the flattening filter is always present and a configuration where the flattening filter can be switched between present and absent, the state of the flattening filter must be included in the radiotherapy plan, resulting in a difference in the amount of data for the two radiotherapy plans.

[0105] Furthermore, when creating a radiotherapy plan for a desired radiotherapy device 6X, incorrectly using beam modeling data from other radiotherapy devices 6A, etc. may result in an undesirable radiation distribution. Alternatively, creating a radiotherapy plan using a different radiotherapy plan format may result in a radiotherapy plan that is not feasible for the desired radiotherapy device 6X.

[0106] To avoid such inconveniences, a radiation therapy device and a radiation therapy planning system are typically operated in a one-to-one relationship within a single hospital. In this normal operation, the radiation therapy planning system possesses beam modeling data, radiation therapy device specifications, and a radiation therapy planning format specific to that device. Using this data, the radiation therapy planning system can create a radiation therapy plan that is executable with that specific device and maintains accuracy.

[0107] In recent years, remote radiotherapy planning has been approved. Remote radiotherapy planning is a method in which a radiation oncologist at another facility (facility B) creates a radiotherapy plan remotely without having to travel to facility A, when there is no radiation oncologist available at facility A. However, the use of remote radiotherapy planning is restricted to emergencies only, and in most cases, facility B is a university hospital and facility A is an affiliated hospital of the university. Remote radiotherapy planning is operated in a manner that does not deviate from the general operating environment, and the radiotherapy planning system is mainly operated in either (i) or (ii).

[0108] (i) The radiation therapy planning system at the affiliated hospital is remotely connected from the university hospital, and the radiation therapy plan is created using the radiation therapy planning system at the affiliated hospital.

[0109] (ii) A second radiotherapy planning system is provided at the university hospital, which is identical in model, software, beam modeling data, and radiotherapy planning format to the first radiotherapy planning system at the affiliated hospital. The second radiotherapy planning system at the university hospital creates radiotherapy plans independently of the first radiotherapy planning system at the affiliated hospital. In this case, the first and second radiotherapy planning systems will create the same radiotherapy plan if the input conditions are the same. Furthermore, if the same radiotherapy plan is used, the same radiotherapy will be performed in each system.

[0110] Furthermore, both in normal operation within a single hospital and in operations based on remote radiotherapy planning (i) and (ii), the radiotherapy device and the radiotherapy planning device are operated in a one-to-one relationship. To clarify, operation (ii) appears to be an exception because the radiotherapy device and the radiotherapy planning device are in a one-to-two (twin) relationship. However, since the twin radiotherapy planning devices in operation (ii) are almost identical, it is equivalent to an operation in a one-to-one relationship.

[0111] On the other hand, another operational model is that of a large-scale radiotherapy center. Large-scale radiotherapy centers possess numerous radiotherapy devices, enabling them to treat many patients concurrently. In these centers, many of the radiotherapy devices are from the same manufacturer, model, and specifications. This is due to the need to avoid interruptions in examinations and treatments caused by the absence of a staff member, requiring rotation within the entire radiology department or radiotherapy division. Specifically, if the radiotherapy devices are not from the same manufacturer, model, and specifications, there is a concern that operation may take longer due to unfamiliarity, or that errors may occur due to confusion with other devices. To avoid such concerns, multiple radiotherapy devices within a large-scale radiotherapy center are from the same manufacturer, model, and specifications. Furthermore, a cost advantage is another reason why large-scale radiotherapy centers equip multiple radiotherapy devices from the same manufacturer, model, and specifications. For example, if a center were to purchase five radiotherapy devices from the same manufacturer, model, and specifications, the manufacturer would offer a significant discount. In contrast, if you try to purchase five different radiation therapy devices from different manufacturers, of different models, and with different specifications, you will only be offered a general discount price by each manufacturer.

[0112] In large-scale radiation therapy centers like this, there are three main ways in which multiple radiation therapy devices and radiation therapy planning systems can be operated.

[0113] (1) There are three radiotherapy devices TA, TB, and TC, and three radiotherapy planning systems PA, PB, and PC. Radiotherapy device TA corresponds to radiotherapy planning system PA, radiotherapy device TB corresponds to radiotherapy planning system PB, and radiotherapy device TC corresponds to radiotherapy planning system PC. Specifically, the beam modeling data for radiotherapy device TA is stored in radiotherapy planning system PA, the beam modeling data for radiotherapy device TB is stored in radiotherapy planning system PB, and the beam modeling data for radiotherapy device TC is stored in radiotherapy planning system PC. The radiotherapy plan for radiotherapy device TA is created by radiotherapy planning system PA. However, if you want to create the radiotherapy plan for radiotherapy device TA using radiotherapy planning system PA, you will need to wait until someone else is working with radiotherapy planning system PA. Another example is when you want to create the radiotherapy plan for radiotherapy device TA and the radiotherapy plan for radiotherapy device TB in sequence. In this case, first, the patient waits for a seat at the PA radiation therapy planning system, and after a seat becomes available, the PA system is used to create a radiation therapy plan for the TA radiation therapy system. Next, the patient waits for a seat at the PB radiation therapy planning system, and after a seat becomes available, the PB system is used to create a radiation therapy plan for the TB radiation therapy system. In this case, the patient needs to wait in line twice, including changing seats, which is inefficient. The radiation therapy plan format is the same for each of the PA, PB, and PC radiation therapy planning systems.

[0114] (2) When there are three radiotherapy devices TA, TB, and TC, the beam modeling data for each of the three radiotherapy devices TA, TB, and TC are adjusted to be nearly identical during the installation phase. One shareable beam modeling data is stored for multiple radiotherapy planning systems PA, PB, and PC. Each of the multiple radiotherapy planning systems PA, PB, and PC can use this beam modeling data to create radiotherapy plans for any of the three radiotherapy devices TA, TB, and TC. With this operation, it is possible to create radiotherapy plans for the desired radiotherapy device TA, TB, and TC at all terminals of the multiple radiotherapy planning systems PA, PB, and PC. Furthermore, even when it is desired to create radiotherapy plans for different radiotherapy devices TA and TB sequentially, it can be done efficiently using one available radiotherapy planning system PA, PB, or PC. The same radiotherapy plan format is set for each of the radiotherapy planning systems PA, PB, and PC.

[0115] (3) When there are three radiotherapy devices TA, TB, and TC, the beam modeling data for each of the radiotherapy devices TA, TB, and TC will generally not match, even if they are from the same manufacturer, are the same model, and have the same specifications. To address this, the beam modeling data for each of the radiotherapy devices TA, TB, and TC are pre-registered in a database. This allows any radiotherapy planning system PA, PB, or PC to read the beam modeling data for the desired radiotherapy device TA, TB, or TC from the database and create a radiotherapy plan based on that beam modeling data. With this operation, even when it is desired to create radiotherapy plans for different radiotherapy devices TA and TB sequentially, it is possible to create them efficiently using one available radiotherapy planning system PA, PB, or PC. The same radiotherapy plan format is set for each of the radiotherapy planning systems PA, PB, and PC.

[0116] Statistical data shows that Japan's birth rate is declining year by year, and it is an aging society where the elderly population significantly exceeds the working-age population. This trend is expected to continue. As a result, the number of cancer patients, who are predominantly elderly, will continue to increase, while the number of working-age medical staff (e.g., doctors, nurses, radiologists, etc.) will continue to decrease. Therefore, there are concerns that in the near future, the proportion of cancer patients who cannot receive treatment under the current workflow will increase year by year due to a shortage of medical staff.

[0117] Currently, the main cancer treatments include surgery (often referred to as the "three major cancer therapies"), chemotherapy (anticancer drugs, molecular targeted drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitors), and radiation therapy. While surgery is currently the first-line treatment for cancer, there are concerns that the number of elderly cancer patients, who are at high risk during surgery, will not be sufficient to perform surgery due to a decrease in medical staff (surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, etc.). Therefore, it is expected that the application of surgery will decrease in the future. Conversely, as the number of cancer patients increases and the number of surgical procedures decreases, it is expected that the application of chemotherapy and radiation therapy will increase.

[0118] There are several irradiation methods in radiation therapy, but among them, IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy) and VMAT (Variable-Temperature Modulated Radiation Therapy) are attracting attention as cutting-edge treatments. The application of these two technologies has increased in recent years, and they are expected to become the mainstream of radiation therapy in the future. IMRT is a radiation therapy method that allows for free adjustment of dose and irradiation field (the area irradiated) using an advanced treatment planning system and a treatment machine capable of high-precision irradiation. In contrast, VMAT is an application of IMRT, which shortens treatment time by rotating the gantry while modulating the irradiation beam. Implementing IMRT and VMAT requires a system that includes an advanced radiation therapy planning system and radiation oncologists with the skills to verify and approve advanced radiation therapy plans. Therefore, in order to safely implement IMRT and VMAT under public insurance, hospitals are required to establish a sufficient system. A sufficient system here includes having at least two full-time radiation oncologists who are exclusively responsible for radiation therapy. However, an increasing number of facilities are currently unable to secure even one full-time radiation oncologist, and a further decrease in the number of medical staff is expected in the future. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to have two or more full-time radiation oncologists, and even securing part-time radiation oncologists is not easy.

[0119] On the other hand, according to the remote radiotherapy plan, if a radiation oncologist cannot be secured at a specific facility, the creation of the radiotherapy plan can be requested from a radiation oncologist at another facility. However, the implementation of the remote radiotherapy plan is limited to emergencies (imminent situations where radiotherapy must be started immediately due to a sudden change in the patient's condition, or situations where the radiotherapy plan needs to be changed on an ad-hoc basis). However, considering the declining birth rate in Japan and the increasing trend of elderly people, in the future, in order to provide advanced treatments such as IMRT and VMAT to more cancer patients than is currently possible, it will be necessary to be able to perform remote radiotherapy "routinely" and "without a full-time physician."

[0120] When implementing remote radiotherapy planning, as mentioned above, the radiotherapy device and the radiotherapy planning device may be operated in a one-to-one ratio, or they may be operated in a one-to-two (twin) ratio.

[0121] In many cases, university hospitals and affiliated hospitals have radiation therapy equipment from the same manufacturer, similar models, and with similar specifications. Therefore, the radiation therapy planning equipment in each university hospital and affiliated hospital can be used with almost identical operation.

[0122] In contrast, from the perspective of implementing remote radiation therapy planning "routinely" and "without full-time physicians" in the future, one radiation oncologist will need to create radiation therapy plans for multiple hospitals. In this case, since different hospitals will use radiation therapy equipment and radiation therapy planning equipment from various manufacturers, models, and specifications, the radiation therapy planning equipment at each different hospital cannot be used with the same operation. In other words, one radiation oncologist will need to use each radiation therapy planning equipment at different hospitals with different operation methods. At this time, one radiation oncologist will need to receive explanations on how to use and the functions of each radiation therapy planning equipment at an orientation session, and then undergo considerable training.

[0123] However, it is not realistic for a single radiation oncologist to be able to use each radiation therapy planning device with different operating procedures simply through briefings and training.

[0124] The above is the background to one embodiment.

[0125] One embodiment is made considering the above background, and for example, a single radiation oncologist can create radiation therapy plans for radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z of various manufacturers, models, and specifications in multiple hospitals using a familiar radiation therapy planning device 50s. Specifically, for example, the radiation therapy planning device 50s in the large-scale cancer center LCC is equipped with a processing circuit 51 that can acquire beam modeling data, specification data, and radiation therapy plan formats for all radiation therapy devices 6A to 6Z that perform remote radiation therapy planning. The radiation therapy planning device 50s also has a function to uniquely identify radiation therapy devices 6X, and creates a radiation therapy plan based on the beam modeling data of the identified radiation therapy device 6X, and the specification data and radiation therapy plan format according to the type of radiation therapy device 6X. The radiation therapy planning device 50s also transfers the created radiation therapy plan to the oncology information system 1X of hospital XH. Therefore, for example, a single radiation oncologist at a large-scale cancer center (LCC) can remotely create radiation therapy plans for hospitals A through Z, which are not affiliated with the LCC. Furthermore, radiation therapy plans for radiation therapy equipment of various manufacturers, models, and specifications located in multiple different hospitals can be created using familiar radiation therapy planning software, with beam modeling data, specification data, and a radiation therapy planning format that matches each individual radiation therapy device. This will enable hospitals without full-time radiation oncologists to implement advanced treatment plans such as IMRT and VMAT.

[0126] <Various variations> One embodiment may be modified as shown in the following variations. Each variation may be combined with one another.

[0127] <First variation> In one embodiment, beam modeling data was obtained from the beam model DB20, but this is not limited to that. For example, as shown in Figure 10, the beam model DB20 may be omitted from the large-scale cancer center LCC. Specifically, in the first modified example, considering the possibility that the large-scale cancer center LCC may forget to update the beam modeling data in the beam model DB20, X Hospital XH transmits the latest beam modeling data of the radiotherapy device 6X along with the request for radiotherapy plan creation. Accordingly, information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes the beam modeling data of that specific radiotherapy device 6X. In addition, when the acquisition function 511 of the processing circuit 51 receives information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X, it acquires the beam modeling data contained in the received information. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0128] With the configuration described above, when steps ST1 to ST2 are executed as previously mentioned, the oncology information system 1X of Hospital XH transmits the radiotherapy plan creation request and the CT images for planning to the corresponding radiotherapy planning device 50s. At this time, the information about the specific radiotherapy device 6X included in the radiotherapy plan request includes beam modeling data for the specific radiotherapy device 6X.

[0129] Furthermore, as described above, when steps ST3 to ST6 are executed, in step ST5, the processing circuit 51 of the radiotherapy planning device 50s acquires beam modeling data contained in the information of a specific radiotherapy device 6X. Based on this, the processing circuit 51 calculates the dose distribution inside the subject based on the acquired beam modeling data.

[0130] As described above, the operations from step ST7 onward will be executed.

[0131] Therefore, according to the first modification, even if the beam model DB20 is omitted, beam modeling data for a specific radiotherapy device 6X can be obtained, thus achieving the same effect as in the first embodiment.

[0132] Furthermore, in the first modified configuration, the beam model DB20 is omitted, thereby eliminating the inconvenience caused by forgetting to update the beam model DB20. To clarify, the first modified configuration assumes a case where Hospital XH requests radiation therapy planning not only from one large-scale cancer center LCC, but from multiple large-scale cancer centers (not shown). For example, if each of the multiple large-scale cancer centers on the planning side is equipped with a beam model DB20, there is a possibility that one of the large-scale cancer centers may forget to update its beam model DB20, resulting in the inconvenience of retaining outdated beam modeling data. In contrast, in the first modified configuration, when requesting radiation therapy planning, Hospital XH, the requesting party, sends the latest beam modeling data to the large-scale cancer center LCC on the planning side, thus avoiding the aforementioned inconvenience.

[0133] <Second variation> In one embodiment, the treatment plan format is selected from the treatment plan format DB30, but the system is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the treatment plan format DB30 may be omitted from the Large Cancer Center LCC. Specifically, in the second modified example, each of the radiotherapy planning devices 50n to 50z has its own treatment plan format for each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in each hospital. In this case, for example, the radiotherapy plan request includes a format ID that identifies the treatment plan format, so that the radiotherapy planning device 50s selects the required treatment plan format according to the format ID. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 12, the storage device 52 of the radiotherapy planning device 50s stores the treatment plan format corresponding to each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z for each format ID (format identification information) corresponding to each of the multiple radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. Note that the storage device 32 is an example of a format storage unit. Information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes a format ID corresponding to the specific type of radiotherapy device 6X. Furthermore, when the processing circuit 51's selection function 512 receives information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X, it selects a treatment plan format from the storage device 52 based on the format ID contained in the received information. The other configurations are the same as in one embodiment.

[0134] With the configuration described above, when steps ST1 to ST2 are executed as previously mentioned, the oncology information system 1X of Hospital XH transmits the radiotherapy plan creation request and the CT images for planning to the corresponding radiotherapy planning device 50s. At this time, the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device 6X included in the radiotherapy plan request includes a format ID corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X.

[0135] Furthermore, steps ST3 to ST6 are executed as described above. Subsequently, in step ST7, the processing circuit 51 of the radiotherapy planning device 50s selects a treatment plan format from the storage device 52 based on the format ID contained in the information of the specific radiotherapy device 6X.

[0136] As described above, the operations from step ST8 onward will be executed.

[0137] Therefore, according to the second modification, even if the treatment plan format DB30 is omitted, a treatment plan format for a specific radiotherapy device 6X can be selected, thus achieving the same effect as in the first embodiment.

[0138] <Third variation> In one embodiment, specification data was selected from the radiotherapy device specification DB40, but the system is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 13, the radiotherapy device specification DB40 may be omitted from the Large-Scale Cancer Center LCC. Specifically, in the third modified example, each of the radiotherapy planning devices 50n to 50z has specification data for each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in each hospital. In this case, for example, the radiotherapy planning request includes a treatment device specification ID that identifies the specification data, so that the radiotherapy planning device 50s selects the necessary specification data according to the treatment device specification ID. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 14, the storage device 52 of the radiotherapy planning device 50s stores specification data corresponding to each of the multiple types of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z for each treatment device specification ID (specification identification information) corresponding to each of the multiple types of radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z. Note that the storage device 32 is an example of a specification data storage unit. Information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes a treatment device specification ID corresponding to the specific type of radiotherapy device 6X. Furthermore, when the selection function 512 of the processing circuit 51 receives information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X, it selects specification data from the storage device 52 based on the treatment device specification ID contained in the received information. The other configurations are the same as in one embodiment.

[0139] With the configuration described above, when steps ST1 to ST2 are executed as previously mentioned, the oncology information system 1X of Hospital XH transmits the radiotherapy plan creation request and the CT images for planning to the corresponding radiotherapy planning device 50s. At this time, the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device 6X included in the radiotherapy plan request includes a treatment device specification ID corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device 6X.

[0140] Furthermore, as described above, when executing steps ST3 to ST6, in step ST6, the condition search range for inverse planning corresponds to the specification data registered in the storage device 52. The processing circuit 51 of the radiotherapy planning device 50s selects specification data from the storage device 52 based on the treatment device specification ID contained in the information about a specific radiotherapy device 6X. Based on this, the processing circuit 51 determines the condition change range based on the selected specification data.

[0141] As described above, the operations from step ST7 onward will be executed.

[0142] Therefore, according to the third modified example, even if the radiation therapy device specification DB40 is omitted, the specification data for a specific radiation therapy device 6X can be selected, thus achieving the same effect as in the first embodiment.

[0143] <Fourth variation> In each of the first to third modifications, one of the beam model DB20, treatment plan format DB30, and radiotherapy device specification DB40 is omitted, but the modifications are not limited to these. For example, as shown in Figure 15, the beam model DB20, treatment plan format DB30, and radiotherapy device specification DB40 may be omitted from the large-scale cancer center LCC. Specifically, the fourth modification is a combination of all the modifications from the first to the third, and each of the radiotherapy planning devices 50n to 50z has the respective treatment plan format and specification data for each of the radiotherapy devices 6A to 6Z in each hospital. In this case, for example, by including beam modeling data, format ID, and treatment device specification ID in the radiotherapy planning request, the radiotherapy planning device 50s acquires beam modeling data, selects a treatment plan format according to the format ID, and selects specification data according to the treatment device specification ID. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 16, the storage device 52 of the radiotherapy planning device 50s stores the treatment plan format for each format ID and the specification data for each treatment device specification ID. Information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X includes beam modeling data for the specific radiotherapy device 6X and format ID and specification data corresponding to the type of specific radiotherapy device 6X. Furthermore, when the acquisition function 511 of the processing circuit 51 receives information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X, it acquires the beam modeling data contained in the received information. When the selection function 512 of the processing circuit 51 receives information regarding a specific radiotherapy device 6X, it selects treatment plan format and specification data from the storage device 52 based on the format ID and treatment device specification ID contained in the received information. Other configurations are the same as in one embodiment.

[0144] According to the fourth modification described above, even if the beam model DB20, treatment plan format DB30, and radiotherapy device specification DB40 are omitted, beam modeling data, treatment plan format, and specification data for a specific radiotherapy device 6X can be obtained, thus achieving the same effects as the first to third modifications.

[0145] The fourth modification combines all the modifications from the first to the third, but is not limited to this; any pair from the first to the third modifications may be combined. For example, the first and second modifications can be paired together, the first and third modifications can be paired together, and the second and third modifications can be paired together as appropriate. Even with these modifications, the same effects and advantages as the two modifications used in the pair can be obtained.

[0146] <Fifth variation> In one embodiment, communication between the large-scale cancer center LCC and each of the hospitals from Hospital AH to Hospital ZH is made possible via a general network Nw1, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 17, communication between the large-scale cancer center LCC and each of the hospitals from Hospital AH to Hospital ZH may be made possible via a dedicated network Nw2. The dedicated network Nw2 is physically isolated from the internet and is a dedicated communication line connecting the large-scale cancer center LCC and each of the hospitals. Furthermore, since a secure environment can be established using the dedicated network Nw2, there is no need to add a new environment such as a VPN. However, since this secure environment is not zero in terms of security risks, it is desirable to implement security measures such as setting user permissions and keeping a history of processing. The other configurations are the same as in the one embodiment.

[0147] According to the fifth modification described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the configuration using a dedicated network Nw2 can reduce security risks such as unauthorized access.

[0148] According to at least one embodiment and its modifications described above, it is possible to remotely create a radiation therapy plan for a radiation therapy device without having to operate various radiation therapy planning devices that have a one-to-one relationship with various radiation therapy devices.

[0149] In the above description, the term "processor" refers to circuits such as CPUs, GPUs, or Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (e.g., Simple Programmable Logic Devices (SPLDs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)). When the processor is a CPU, for example, it performs its functions by reading and executing programs stored in memory. On the other hand, when the processor is an ASIC, for example, instead of storing the program in memory, the functions are directly incorporated as logic circuits within the processor's circuitry. In this embodiment, each processor is not limited to being configured as a single circuit; multiple independent circuits may be combined to form a single processor and perform its functions. Furthermore, multiple components shown in Figures 1 to 6 may be integrated into a single processor to perform its functions.

[0150] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0151] 1A~1X~1Z,10 Oncology Information System 6A~6X~6Z,601~60m Radiation therapy equipment 20 Beam Model DB 30 Treatment Plan Format DB 40 Radiation Therapy Equipment Specifications Database 501~50m, 50n~50s~50z Radiation therapy planning system 51 Processing Circuit 511 Acquisition function 512 Selection Function 513 Creation function 514 Communication function 515 Display control function 52 Storage device 53 Display equipment 54 Input devices 55 Communication equipment LCC Large-Scale Cancer Center AH A Hospital XH X Hospital ZH Z Hospital

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires beam modeling data for a specific radiotherapy device based on information about a specific radiotherapy device among multiple radiotherapy devices distributed across multiple facilities, A first selection unit selects a treatment plan format corresponding to the specific type of radiotherapy device from among the treatment plan formats corresponding to each of the multiple types of radiotherapy devices, based on the information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. A second selection unit selects specification data corresponding to the specific type of radiotherapy device from among the specification data corresponding to each of the multiple types of radiotherapy devices, based on the information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. A creation unit that creates a radiotherapy plan to be used for the specific radiotherapy device based on the acquired beam modeling data, the selected treatment plan format, and the selected specification data, A radiation therapy planning system equipped with the following features.

2. The acquisition unit is connected to a first database that stores information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices and beam modeling data for each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices in association, and acquires beam modeling data for a specific radiotherapy device from the first database based on information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 1.

3. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes identification information that identifies the specific radiotherapy device. The information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices in the first database is identification information that identifies each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, The acquisition unit acquires the beam modeling data from the first database based on the identification information contained in the information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 2.

4. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes beam modeling data for the specific radiotherapy device. When the acquisition unit receives information about the specific radiotherapy device, it acquires the beam modeling data contained in the received information. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 1.

5. The first selection unit is connected to a second database that stores information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices and treatment plan formats corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, and selects a treatment plan format corresponding to the specific type of radiotherapy device from the second database based on the information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 1.

6. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes type information indicating the type of the specific radiotherapy device. The information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices in the second database is type information indicating the type of each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, The first selection unit selects the treatment plan format from the second database based on the type information contained in the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes identification information that identifies the specific radiotherapy device. The information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices in the second database is identification information that identifies each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices. The first selection unit selects the treatment plan format from the second database based on the identification information contained in the information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning apparatus according to claim 5.

8. The system includes a format storage unit that stores a treatment plan format corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, for each format identification information corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes format identification information corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device. When the first selection unit receives information regarding the specific radiotherapy device, it selects a treatment plan format from the format storage unit based on the format identification information contained in the received information. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 1.

9. The second selection unit is connected to a third database that stores information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices and specification data corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, and selects specification data corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device from the third database based on the information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 1.

10. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes type information indicating the type of the specific radiotherapy device. The information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices in the third database is type information indicating the type of each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, The second selection unit selects the specification data from the third database based on the type information contained in the information regarding the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 9.

11. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes identification information that identifies the specific radiotherapy device. The information relating to each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices in the third database is identification information that identifies each of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, The second selection unit selects the specification data from the third database based on the identification information contained in the information relating to the specific radiotherapy device. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 9.

12. The system includes a specification data storage unit that stores specification data corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices, for each specification identification information corresponding to each type of the plurality of radiotherapy devices. The information relating to the specific radiotherapy device includes specification identification information corresponding to the type of the specific radiotherapy device. When the second selection unit receives information regarding the specific radiotherapy device, it selects specification data from the specification data storage unit based on the specification identification information contained in the received information. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 1.

13. The creation unit determines whether the beam modeling data used to create the radiotherapy plan is appropriate. A radiotherapy planning device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The creation unit adds to the created radiotherapy plan information that identifies the beam modeling data used to create the radiotherapy plan, or specific information of the particular radiotherapy device having the beam modeling data, as additional information, and determines whether the beam modeling data is appropriate based on whether the additional information is appropriate. The radiotherapy planning apparatus according to claim 13.

15. The creation unit discards the created radiotherapy plan if the additional information is inappropriate. The radiotherapy planning device according to claim 14.

16. The creation unit, if the beam modeling data is appropriate, identifies the specific radiotherapy device or the server device corresponding to the specific radiotherapy device, and sets the identified device as the destination for transmitting the created radiotherapy plan. The radiotherapy planning apparatus according to claim 13.

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