Workflow management system, radiation therapy system, and workflow management method

The workflow management system for radiation therapy enables parallel execution of processes, addressing the time constraints of online adaptive treatments and enhancing treatment efficiency.

JP7662344B2Active Publication Date: 2025-04-15HITACHI HIGH TECH CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021009502
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-01-25
Publication Date
2025-04-15
Estimated Expiration
2041-01-25

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Online adaptive radiation therapy treatments often require longer times due to increased steps and processes, which can delay treatment.

Method used

A workflow management system that executes multiple processes in parallel, including displaying results of calculations based on patient images and requesting operator input, to streamline online adaptive treatment.

Benefits of technology

This approach reduces the time required for online adaptive treatment by allowing simultaneous execution of various processes, thereby improving treatment efficiency.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To reduce a time required for online adaptive therapy.SOLUTION: A workflow management system is configured to execute a plurality of processes to perform radiation therapy in accordance with a predetermined workflow, the processes including at least a first process and a second process. The workflow management system concurrently executes a first module (a) which is included in the first process, displays a result of a first calculation based on a patient image captured during the therapy by an imaging apparatus for imaging a predetermined area of a patient, and requests an input by an operator, and a second module (b) which is included in the second process and executes a second calculation based on the patient image captured during the therapy.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a workflow management system, a radiotherapy system, and a workflow management method. [Background technology]

[0002] The present invention relates to a workflow management system, a radiotherapy system, and a workflow management method that are applied to a radiotherapy system that treats an affected area such as a tumor by irradiating the affected area with radiation such as a particle beam.

[0003] There are known methods of irradiating cancer patients with radiation such as particle beams and X-rays. Particle beams include proton beams and carbon beams. The radiation therapy system used for irradiation creates a dose distribution suited to the shape of the target, such as a tumor, inside the body of the patient, who is fixed on a patient bed called a couch.

[0004] The condition inside the patient's body changes daily, such as changes in the shape of the target and changes in gas pockets in the intestines. In order to improve irradiation accuracy, adaptive treatment, which re-creates the treatment plan according to the patient's internal condition on the day of treatment, is becoming more common. In particular, treatment in which the treatment plan is re-planned on the day of treatment while the patient is fixed to the couch, is called online adaptive treatment.

[0005] As an example of a workflow of online adaptive radiation therapy in which a treatment plan is recreated on the spot according to the internal condition of the patient on the day of treatment, Patent Document 1 describes a workflow of online adaptive therapy characterized by automatically executing the steps of obtaining commands representing a treatment plan, using the commands to generate a patient model in stages, generating first and second treatment plans, and selecting a treatment plan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0121951 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes an automatic workflow of online adaptive therapy. In this workflow, patient fixation, imaging, contour creation, treatment plan creation and selection, and irradiation are performed in sequence. In conventional treatment, treatment is performed in three steps of patient fixation, imaging, and irradiation, but in online adaptive treatment, the number of steps increases, which may increase the treatment time.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a workflow management system, a radiation therapy system, and a workflow management method that enable online adaptive therapy to be performed in a short time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted, which is a workflow management system that executes a plurality of processes executed for carrying out radiation therapy according to a predetermined workflow, the plurality of processes including at least a first process and a second process, and the workflow management system executes the following modules (a) and (b) in parallel. (a) a first module included in the first process, which displays a result of a first calculation based on a patient image captured during treatment by an imaging device that captures an image of a predetermined area of ​​the patient, and requests an input from an operator; (b) a second module included in the second process and configured to perform a second calculation based on the patient image during the treatment; Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the time required for online adaptive therapy can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a radiation therapy system having a workflow manager according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a workflow manager according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a basic conceptual diagram of workflow management in a workflow manager according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of workflow management in a workflow manager according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display portion that displays the progress status of a workflow in the workflow manager according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display portion when a workflow is created by a workflow manager according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description and drawings are examples for explaining the present invention, and appropriate omissions and simplifications have been made for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0013] In the drawings explaining the embodiments, the same reference numerals are used to designate parts having the same functions, and repeated explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0014] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0015] When there are multiple components having the same or similar functions, they may be described by using the same reference numerals with different subscripts. However, when there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the radiation therapy system 1 of the embodiment includes a workflow manager 10, a patient positioning system 11, a contour creation system 12, a replanning system 13, a patient verification (QA: Quality Assurance) system 14, an imaging device 20, an imaging control device 21, an irradiation device 30, an irradiation control device 31, a rotating gantry 40, a gantry control device 41, a couch 50, and a couch control device 51.

[0017] The bed on which the patient 60 rests is called the couch 50. The couch 50 can move in the directions of three orthogonal axes and can also rotate around each axis based on instructions from the couch control device 51. By these movements and rotations, the position of the target 61 can be moved to a desired position.

[0018] The imaging device 20 measures three-dimensional images of a patient 60 fixed on a couch 50 and a target 61 based on instructions from an imaging control device 21. The three-dimensional images include CT images, cone beam CT images, and MRI images.

[0019] The irradiation device 30 generates radiation used in treatment based on instructions from an irradiation control device 31. Specifically, the radiation energy, irradiation position, and irradiation amount are controlled to form a desired dose distribution on the target 61. A part of the irradiation device 30 is installed on the rotating gantry 40, and can rotate together with the rotating gantry 40. The rotating gantry 40 is moved to a desired angle based on instructions from the gantry control device 41. By changing the angle of the rotating gantry 40, radiation can be irradiated from a desired angle.

[0020] The patient positioning system 11 calculates the amount of position correction of the patient 60 relative to the irradiation device 30 based on a reference image generated in advance and a three-dimensional image measured by the imaging device 20. The operator 70 checks the calculation result and determines the amount of position correction. Based on the determined amount of position correction, the installation position of the couch 50 is calculated and set in the couch control device 51.

[0021] The contouring system 12 generates a composite CT image for replanning based on a previously generated reference image and a 3D image measured by the imaging device 20. In addition, it identifies the target and normal tissue regions on the composite CT image and generates their contour data. The operator 70 checks the calculation results, corrects them if necessary, and then approves the composite CT image and the contour data.

[0022] The replanning system 13 optimizes radiation exposure parameters based on the composite CT image and contour data to create a plan for that day. Furthermore, it compares and displays the dose distribution of the original treatment plan (hereinafter referred to as the original plan) and the plan for that day. The operator 70 selects the treatment plan to be used for that day's treatment.

[0023] The patient QA system 14 verifies the plan for that day, and the operator checks and approves the verification results.

[0024] The workflow manager 10 is connected to the imaging controller 21, the irradiation controller 31, the gantry controller 41, the couch controller 51, the patient positioning system 11, the contouring system 12, the re-planning system 13 and the patient QA system 14 to monitor and manage the progress of the treatment workflow.

[0025] Here, the workflow management system of this embodiment includes at least a workflow manager 10, and further includes a patient positioning system 11, a contouring system 12, a re-planning system 13, and a patient QA system .

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the workflow manager 10 according to the embodiment.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the workflow manager 10 has an input device 101 for inputting various parameters etc., a display device 102, a memory (storage medium) 103, a database (storage medium) 104, a calculation processing device 105 (a control device which is a calculation element) which creates a workflow and monitors and manages the progress of the workflow, and a communication device 106.

[0028] The workflow manager 10 is configured from a device capable of performing various types of information processing, for example, an information processing device such as a computer.

[0029] The computing element is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. The storage medium is, for example, a magnetic storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. In addition, a combination of an optical disk such as a digital versatile disk (DVD) and an optical disk drive is also used as a storage medium. In addition, a known storage medium such as a magnetic tape medium is also used as a storage medium.

[0030] The storage medium stores programs such as firmware. When the workflow manager 10 starts to operate (for example, when the power is turned on), the programs such as firmware are read from the storage medium and executed to control the entire workflow manager 10. In addition to the programs, the storage medium also stores data necessary for each process of the workflow manager 10.

[0031] Alternatively, some of the components constituting the workflow manager 10 may be connected to each other via a LAN (Local Area Network), or may be connected to each other via a WAN (Wide Area Network) such as the Internet.

[0032] Although not shown, the various devices and systems constituting the radiation therapy system 1, such as the patient positioning system 11, are also composed of information processing devices such as computers.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows the basic concept of workflow management performed by the workflow manager 10 and the like of this embodiment.

[0034] The workflow manager 10, the patient positioning system 11, etc., execute each process of patient positioning, contour creation, replanning, patient QA, and irradiation, as in general online adaptive therapy. The radiation therapy system of this embodiment is characterized in that it starts the calculation of the next process during the execution of a step of each process that requires the judgment and operation of the operator 70, such as confirmation and correction of the calculation result. If the operator 70 does not correct the calculation result, the calculation that has been started in advance is continued. If the operator 70 corrects the calculation result, the calculation that has been started in advance is stopped, and the calculation of the next process is started reflecting the corrected calculation result.

[0035] The workflow manager 10 manages the steps executed in each process as modules divided into elements.

[0036] An example of a modularly managed workflow is shown in Figure 4. Within the entire workflow, the areas enclosed by dashed lines indicate each process. Within each process, modules that are performed automatically are shown with dotted lines, and modules that require execution (judgment and operation) by an operator 70 (i.e., modules that are performed manually) are shown with solid lines. Modules that require execution by the operator 70 are executed after waiting for judgment and operation by the operator 70.

[0037] Before the start of treatment, the workflow manager 10 holds CT images, contour data, irradiation parameters, dose distribution indexes, and clinical goals as information on the original plan created during the treatment preparation period.

[0038] The workflow is composed of a positioning process P1, a contouring process P2, a re-planning process P3, a patient QA process P4, and an irradiation process P5. Software modules that execute each step of the positioning process P1, the contouring process P2, the re-planning process P3, and the patient QA process P4 are held by the patient positioning system 11, the contouring system 12, the re-planning system 13, and the patient QA system 14, respectively, and are executed by each patient positioning system 11, etc.

[0039] The workflow manager 10 monitors the execution status of each software module executed by the patient positioning system 11, etc., and receives the execution results (calculation results) and execution completion notifications of the software modules as necessary. When a certain step is completed, the workflow manager 10 identifies the next step according to the workflow, and issues an instruction to start this next step to the software modules such as the patient positioning system 11.

[0040] The workflow management method will be explained below for each process.

[0041] In the positioning process P1, in step S101, the operator 70 fixes the patient 60 to the couch 50. Furthermore, in step S102, the operator 70 adjusts the position of the couch 50 to roughly position the patient 60 with respect to the irradiation device 30, using a laser marker (not shown) as a reference.

[0042] In parallel with steps S101 and S102, in S103, the workflow manager 10 sets imaging conditions for the imaging device 20. The imaging conditions are set based on information on the patient 60, the treatment site, and the previous treatment date.

[0043] In step S104, a 3D image of the patient 60 and the target 61 on that day is measured. In step S105, the CT image of the original plan is used as a reference image, and the position correction amount of the patient 60 with respect to the irradiation device 30 is calculated based on the 3D image on that day. When step S105 is completed, step S106 and S201 of the contour creation process P2 are executed.

[0044] In step S106, approval of the calculation results is requested from the operator 70. The operator 70 checks the calculation results and modifies the amount of position correction of the patient 60 as necessary. If the amount of position correction is modified by the operator 70, the calculation being performed in the contour creation process P2 is discarded, and the process is executed again from step S201 based on the modified amount of position correction. If the amount of position correction is approved in step S106, the position of the couch 50 is corrected in step S107. The workflow manager 10 also inputs information that the positioning process P1 has been completed to the software module that executes step S208.

[0045] In the contour creation process P2, first, in step S201, calculation conditions for non-rigid registration (deformable image registration: DIR) are set based on the CT image of the original plan and information on the treatment area. In step S202, based on the set calculation conditions, a deformable vector field (DVF) is calculated by deforming the CT image of the original plan by non-rigid registration using the CT 3D image of the day as a reference image. In step S203, a synthetic CT (sCT) image is generated by replacing the pixel values ​​of the 3D image of the day with the pixel values ​​of the CT image of the original plan using the calculated DVF.

[0046] After step S203 is completed, steps S204 and S205 are performed. In step S204, the contour of the normal tissue is calculated based on the composite CT image and the DVF. In step S205, the contour of the target is calculated based on the composite CT image and the DVF. Steps S204 and S205 may be performed simultaneously or sequentially. When performed sequentially, the calculation result of the earlier step may be used to perform the later step.

[0047] After steps S204 and S205 are completed, step S206 and step S301 of the re-planning process P3 are executed. In step S206, calculation conditions for contour verification are set based on the CT image of the original plan, the contour data, and the treatment area information. In step S207, calculations are executed to verify the contour data generated in steps S204 and S205 based on the CT image of the original plan, the contour data, and the treatment area information.

[0048] In step S208, the composite CT image, the contour data, and the contour verification result are displayed, and approval of the contour is requested from the operator 70. The operator 70 checks the calculation result, and corrects the contours of the normal tissue and the target as necessary. If the contour is corrected by the operator 70, the calculation being performed in the re-planning process P3 is discarded, and the process is performed again from step S301 based on the corrected contour. If the contour is approved in step S208, the workflow manager 10 inputs information that the contour creation process P2 has been completed to the software module that executes step S306. Note that step S208 is not executed unless information that the positioning process P1 has been completed is input.

[0049] In the re-planning process P3, first, in step S301, conditions for optimizing irradiation parameters are set based on the irradiation parameters, dose distribution index, and clinical goal of the original plan. Here, the conditions are the dose distribution shape, DVH (Dose Volume Histogram) index of the target and organ at risk (OAR), optimization weighting coefficient, etc. In step S302, irradiation parameters are optimized based on the composite CT image and contour data to create a day's plan.

[0050] Upon completion of step S302, steps S303, S304, steps S401 and S402 of the patient QA process P4, and step S501 of the irradiation process P5 are executed.

[0051] In step S303, the dose distribution when irradiation is performed according to the original treatment plan is calculated based on the irradiation parameters of the original plan and the composite CT image. In step S304, the dose distribution of the day's plan is calculated based on the irradiation parameters of the day's plan and the composite CT image. In step S305, for the two dose distributions calculated in steps S303 and S304, dose distribution indices such as the DVH index, HI (Homogeneity Index), and CI (Conformity Index) of the target and OAR are calculated based on the contour data of the original plan and the day's plan, and the achievement status of the clinical goal is displayed.

[0052] In step S306, the evaluation index calculated in step S305 is displayed, and the operator 70 is requested to select a treatment plan. The operator 70 checks the evaluation index and selects a treatment plan to be used for the treatment of that day from the original plan and the plan for that day. If the original plan is selected, the calculation being performed in the patient QA process P4 is discarded, and step S501 of the irradiation process P5 is executed again. Furthermore, the workflow manager 10 inputs information that the original plan has been selected to the software module that executes step S502. Furthermore, if the plan for that day is selected, the workflow manager 10 inputs information that the re-planning process P3 has been completed to the software module that executes step S404. If it is determined that the plan for that day needs to be corrected, the process returns to step S301, and the re-planning process P3 is executed again. Note that step S306 is not executed unless information that the contour creation process P2 has been completed is input.

[0053] In the patient QA process P4, steps S401 and S402 are first executed. In step S401, the dose distribution of the plan for that day is calculated based on the composite CT image and the irradiation parameters of the plan for that day, using a dose calculation algorithm different from that of step S303. In step S402, it is verified that the radiation therapy system 1 operates correctly during irradiation using the irradiation parameters of the plan for that day.

[0054] In step S403, based on the dose distribution calculated in step S401 and the contour data of the day's plan, dose distribution indices such as DVH indices, HI, and CI of the target and OAR are calculated, and the achievement status of the clinical goal is displayed. In addition, the agreement between the dose distributions calculated in steps S304 and S401 is evaluated by gamma analysis.

[0055] In step S404, the evaluation result calculated in step S403 and the verification result of S402 are displayed, and confirmation of the results by the operator 70 is requested. If the operator 70 approves, the workflow manager 10 inputs information that the patient QA process P4 has been completed to the software module that executes step S502. If the operator 70 does not approve, the workflow manager 10 requests the operator to select whether to re-execute the treatment process or to discontinue treatment. If re-executing the treatment process is selected, the workflow manager 10 requests the operator to select the step to be re-executed. Note that step S404 is not executed unless information that the re-planning process P3 has been completed is input.

[0056] In the irradiation process P5, first, in step S501, irradiation parameters are set in each control device.

[0057] Next, if information that the original plan has been selected or information that the patient QA process P4 has been completed is input from the workflow manager 10, step S502 is executed. In step S502, permission to perform irradiation is requested from the operator 70, and if permission is granted, irradiation is started. If the treatment plan includes multiple irradiation fields, the position of the couch 50 and the angle of the rotating gantry 40 are sequentially corrected to perform irradiation.

[0058] When irradiation is completed, in step S503, irradiation log data is generated. The irradiation log data includes data on the radiation irradiation position and the irradiation dose. When step S503 is completed, steps S504 and S505 are executed. In step S504, the actual dose distribution is calculated based on the irradiation log data and the composite CT image. Furthermore, a dose distribution index of the actual dose distribution is calculated using the contour data of the day's plan.

[0059] In step S505, the operation of the radiation therapy system 1 during irradiation is verified based on the irradiation log data and the irradiation parameters of the day's plan. When steps S504 and S505 are completed, the treatment is completed.

[0060] Next, a method for creating a workflow will be described. A workflow is created for each treatment site and treatment protocol, and is registered in the workflow manager 10. The workflow to be used during treatment is selected from the workflows registered for each treatment plan.

[0061] 5 shows the screen display of the workflow manager 10 during treatment. Three statuses are displayed for each step of the workflow: completed, in progress, and not yet executed.

[0062] Figure 6 shows the screen display of the workflow manager 10 when creating a workflow. The area on the left is the area for selecting registered modules. The area on the upper center is the area for constructing the workflow, where the progression of steps within the process is constructed by connecting modules. The area on the lower center is the area for displaying error messages, etc.

[0063] The right area is an area for setting each module, and sets the execution conditions, input / output contents, and execution contents. The execution conditions are set as to whether the module is automatically executed or manually executed, in other words, whether the module requires judgment and operation by the operator 70. The input conditions required to execute the process and the output contents output as a result of the process are set in advance for each registered module. When the operator 70 connects multiple modules, the workflow manager 10 verifies the workflow by checking whether the output conditions of the connection source module satisfy the input conditions of the connection destination module. If the output conditions of the connection source module satisfy the input conditions of the connection destination module, the workflow manager 10 connects the modules. On the other hand, if the output conditions of the connection source module do not satisfy the input conditions of the connection destination module, an error message is displayed.

[0064] Workflows are built by connecting registered modules. You can also create new workflows by loading and modifying registered workflows.

[0065] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0066] In this embodiment, the module requesting the operator 70 to perform an operation and the module for the next process are executed in parallel, thereby making it possible to reduce the treatment time.

[0067] Specifically, while step S106 of positioning process P1 is being executed, steps S201-S207 of contour creation process P2, S301-S305 of re-planning process P3, steps S401-S403 of patient QA process P4, and S501 of irradiation process P5 can be executed in parallel. Also, while step S208 of contour creation process P2 is being executed, steps S301-S305 of re-planning process P3, steps S401-S403 of patient QA process P4, and S501 of irradiation process P5 can be executed in parallel. Furthermore, while step S306 of re-planning process P3 is being executed, steps S401-S403 of patient QA process P4 and S501 of irradiation process P5 can be executed in parallel.

[0068] This makes it possible to reduce the time required for online adaptive radiation therapy, which has a large number of procedures that must be performed on the same day.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the steps executed in each process are managed as modules divided into elements, and a workflow is constructed as the connections of the modules. This makes it easy to recognize modules that can be executed in parallel. Also, the connections between modules can be easily constructed and changed, making it possible to construct a flexible workflow according to the preferences of hospitals and doctors. Furthermore, it is possible to construct a highly scalable workflow that can be updated on a module-by-module basis.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the progress of the workflow is displayed using a workflow diagram expressed as connections between modules, making it possible to easily recognize the completion status of modules executed in parallel.

[0071] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but includes various modified examples. The above-mentioned embodiment has been described in detail to explain the present invention in an easily understandable manner, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to the embodiment having all of the described configurations.

[0072] For example, the workflow shown in Fig. 4 is just an example, and the steps managed as modules may be further subdivided, or multiple steps may be managed by one module. The steps shown in Fig. 4 can be omitted, and the order of execution can also be changed.

[0073] Additionally, the patient positioning system 11 , the contouring system 12 , the re-planning system 13 and the patient QA system 14 may be the same system or may be functions that are part of the workflow manager 10 .

[0074] In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole by hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. In addition, the above-mentioned configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as the program, table, file, etc. that realizes each function can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD, or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0075] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1: Radiation therapy system 10: Workflow manager 11: Patient positioning system 12: Contouring system 13: Replanning system 14: Patient QA system 20: Imaging device 21: Imaging control device 30: Irradiation device 31: Irradiation control device 40: Rotating gantry 41: Gantry control device 50: Couch 51: Couch control device 60: Patient 61: Target 70: Operator

Claims

1. A workflow management system for executing a plurality of processes to be performed for carrying out radiation therapy according to a predetermined workflow, the plurality of processes includes at least a first process and a second process; the first process includes a calculation process and a judgment process for requesting an operator to make a judgment on a result of the calculation process; The workflow management system includes: In the first process, a calculation process is performed based on a patient image obtained by capturing an image of a predetermined area of ​​the patient before radiation irradiation; a workflow management system that executes a calculation process of the second process based on a result of the calculation process of the first process while executing the judgment process.

2. The workflow management system according to claim 1 , wherein in the first process, the workflow management system determines whether or not to perform calculation processing based on the patient image again based on an input from the operator corresponding to the determination.

3. 3. The workflow management system according to claim 2, wherein the workflow management system discards the calculation process of the second process when it is determined that calculation processing based on the patient image is to be performed again.

4. The workflow management system includes: A plurality of information processing devices each executing the process including a different module; 2. The workflow management system according to claim 1, further comprising a management device for instructing said information processing device to execute a module in said process.

5. 5. The workflow management system according to claim 4, wherein said management device receives a calculation result from said process from said information processing device, and transmits said calculation result to said information processing device different from said information processing device that executed said process.

6. 5. The workflow management system according to claim 4, wherein said information processing device waits for execution of said module until an instruction to execute said module is received from said management device.

7. 5. The workflow management system according to claim 4, wherein the workflow management system creates the workflow by connecting a plurality of the modules.

8. 8. The workflow management system according to claim 7, wherein the workflow management system verifies the workflow based on an output condition of the source module and an input condition of the destination module.

9. The workflow management system includes: displaying the workflow by displaying the modules and their connections during execution of the workflow; The workflow management system according to claim 7 , further comprising: displaying a progress status of each of the modules to display a progress status of the workflow.

10. an imaging device for imaging a region of a patient including a target; a radiation irradiation device for irradiating the target with radiation; A workflow management system that executes a plurality of processes to be performed for carrying out radiation therapy according to a predetermined workflow; Equipped with the plurality of processes includes at least a first process and a second process; the first process includes a calculation process and a judgment process for requesting an operator to make a judgment on a result of the calculation process; The workflow management system includes: In the first process, a calculation process is performed based on a patient image obtained by capturing an image of a predetermined area of ​​the patient before radiation irradiation; A radiation therapy system that executes a calculation process of the second process based on a result of the calculation process of the first process while executing the judgment process.

11. A workflow management method by a workflow management system that executes a plurality of processes to be executed for performing radiation therapy according to a predetermined workflow, comprising: the plurality of processes includes at least a first process and a second process; the first process includes a calculation process and a judgment process for requesting an operator to make a judgment on a result of the calculation process; The workflow management system includes: In the first process, a calculation process is performed based on a patient image obtained by capturing an image of a predetermined area of ​​the patient before radiation irradiation; a workflow management method for executing a calculation process of the second process based on a result of the calculation process of the first process while the judgment process is being executed.

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