Dose evaluation method and dose evaluation system

Abstract

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to further improve a therapeutic effect by performing dose evaluation at the time of theranostics with higher accuracy.　Provided is a dose evaluation method comprising: a step (S104) for generating pharmacokinetic data of a therapeutic agent administered to a patient during radiation treatment; a step (S108) for acquiring radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation emitted to the body of the patient during radiation treatment; and a step (S110) for generating, on the basis of the radiation dose distribution data and the pharmacokinetic data, in-vivo dose distribution data obtained by adding together the radiation emitted to the body of the patient during radiation treatment and radiation generated in the body of the patient by irradiation with radiation.

Description

Dose evaluation method and dose evaluation system

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for evaluating a dose in radiation therapy.

[0002] In recent years, "theranostics," a radiological diagnosis and treatment that utilizes targeted drugs and radiation, has been attracting attention (see, for example, Patent Document 1). It has been found that there is a significant difference in the heterogeneity of drug distribution within tumors between patients who achieve complete remission (CR) and those who do not achieve complete remission after undergoing boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), one type of theranostics.

[0003] JP 2019-43902 A

[0004] However, conventional dose assessment methods for radiation therapy such as BNCT assume that the therapeutic agent is distributed uniformly and at a certain constant value within the patient's body, and assess the dose for each patient by only reflecting the radiation dynamics within the body. This type of dose assessment is far from reality, and has been analyzed to have a very low correlation with treatment effectiveness (see, for example, Kivunoro H, et al. Appl. Radiat. Isot. 106.189-94 .2015).

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a dose evaluation method and system that can perform dose evaluation during theranostics treatment with higher accuracy and further improve the therapeutic effect.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a dose evaluation method comprising the steps of generating pharmacokinetic data indicating the kinetics within the body of the patient of a therapeutic drug administered to the patient during radiation therapy; acquiring radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation irradiated to the body of the patient during radiation therapy; and generating internal dose distribution data, based on the radiation dose distribution data and the pharmacokinetic data, which is the sum of the radiation irradiated to the body of the patient during radiation therapy and the radiation generated within the body of the patient due to the irradiation of the radiation.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a treatment planning support system comprising: a pharmacokinetic data generation unit that generates pharmacokinetic data indicating the kinetics within the body of a patient of a therapeutic drug administered to the patient during radiation therapy; a radiation dose distribution data acquisition unit that acquires radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation irradiated to the body of the patient during radiation therapy; and an internal dose distribution data generation unit that generates internal dose distribution data that is the sum of the radiation irradiated to the body of the patient during radiation therapy and the radiation generated within the body of the patient by the irradiation of the radiation, based on the radiation dose distribution data and the pharmacokinetic data. Another aspect of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer system to execute the above-mentioned dose evaluation method.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a dose evaluation method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of an example configuration of a dose evaluation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram of a dose evaluation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing administration conditions of a diagnostic agent for a PET examination and a therapeutic agent for BNCT. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a treatment plan support system, a radiation therapy planning device, and a treatment system. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence diagram of a dose evaluation method executed in a dose evaluation system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Outline of Dose Evaluation Method) Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a dose evaluation method executed by a dose evaluation system according to this embodiment. The dose evaluation system and dose evaluation method according to this embodiment are intended for a case where BNCT is performed on a patient, but are not limited to this and can be applied to similar dose evaluation methods.

[0011] In BNCT, a boron agent is administered to a patient and accumulates in tumor cells. When the patient is exposed to neutrons from outside the body, a nuclear reaction occurs, destroying the tumor cells from within. Currently, BPA (p-boronophenylalanine) is the most commonly used boron agent. When BNCT is administered to a patient, a BNCT radiation treatment plan is created in advance.

[0012] Image A is an example of a conventional radiation therapy plan. A conventional radiation therapy plan is data showing the dose distribution (evaluation value) of radiation such as neutron rays and mixed gamma rays irradiated to the patient's body during BNCT treatment, and is data showing the dose in the irradiated area when neutron rays are irradiated for how many minutes. In such conventional radiation therapy plans, it was assumed that the drug distribution of BPA during BNCT was uniform, so dose evaluation was performed reflecting only the radiation dynamics within the body. In contrast, the dose evaluation method according to this embodiment is based on the assumption that BPA is uniformly distributed. 18 This can be achieved by synthesizing F 18 Based on PET (Positron Emission Tomography) images of F-FBPA, a compartment model is used to construct pharmacokinetic data for BPA in the body. The BPA pharmacokinetic data represents the distribution of BPA in the body at any time after administration of the boron agent, as shown in Image B. By applying convolution processing to this data and reflecting it in a conventional radiation therapy plan (Image A), a radiation therapy plan (Image C) that takes pharmacokinetics into account is generated.

[0013] (Outline of Dose Evaluation System) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of an example configuration of a dose evaluation system according to this embodiment. The dose evaluation system according to this embodiment may include a treatment plan support system 11, a radiation therapy planning device 12, and a treatment system 13. The radiation therapy planning device 12 creates a radiation therapy plan from image data such as X-ray CT images. The radiation therapy plan is created, for example, using CT images captured simulating the patient's position during treatment. The CT images determine the direction from which radiation such as neutron beams will be irradiated, and information necessary for irradiating a predetermined radiation dose is calculated. An example of a radiation therapy planning device capable of creating a conventional radiation therapy plan is the NeuCure Dose Engine, a BNCT dose calculation program developed by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. The radiation therapy planning device 12 according to this embodiment can also be implemented by a similar system. The radiation therapy plan data created by the radiation therapy planning device 12 is transmitted to the treatment plan support system 11 (ST11).

[0014] Furthermore, the treatment plan support system 11 of this embodiment is 18Pharmacokinetic data is generated based on the F-FBPA PET images. The treatment planning support system 11 then generates new radiation therapy planning data (processed radiation therapy planning data) that takes pharmacokinetics into account by convolution processing of the generated pharmacokinetic data with the radiation therapy planning data. The generated processed radiation therapy planning data is transmitted to the radiation therapy planning device 12 (ST12). The radiation therapy planning device 12, for example, displays and outputs the received processed radiation therapy planning data. A medical professional operating the radiation therapy planning device 12 checks the displayed processed radiation therapy planning data and determines whether treatment using the processed radiation therapy planning data is suitable for the patient. If it is determined to be suitable, the processed radiation therapy planning data is transmitted to the treatment system 13 (ST13). On the other hand, if it is determined to be unsuitable, the treatment is not performed, or new radiation therapy planning data is created (e.g., by irradiating the patient with neutron beams from a different direction). The treatment system 13 irradiates the patient's body with neutron beams based on the processed radiation therapy planning data. Note that, as a treatment system that irradiates neutron beams using conventional radiation treatment planning data such as image A in Figure 1, there are BNCT systems such as "NeuCure" (Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.), which is a neutron irradiation device for boron neutron capture therapy. The treatment system 13 of this embodiment can also be realized by a similar system. Furthermore, the treatment results of BNCT performed by the treatment system 13 can be fed back to the treatment planning support system 11 as a case (ST14).

[0015] The treatment planning support system 11, the radiation therapy planning device 12, and the treatment system 13 may be connected to each other via a wired or wireless network and may transmit and receive data via wired or wireless communication, or data may be transferred between the devices using removable memory such as an external hard disk drive, CD, DVD, USB memory, memory stick, or SD card.

[0016] In addition, in the configuration example of Figure 2, the treatment planning support system 11, the radiation therapy planning device 12, and the treatment system 13 are illustrated as separate devices or systems, but any two or three of these devices or systems may be configured as a physically integrated device or system.

[0017] (Functional Block) FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram of a dose evaluation system according to this embodiment. As described above, the dose evaluation system according to this embodiment may be configured to include a treatment plan support system 11, a radiation therapy planning device 12, and a treatment system 13. The treatment plan support system 11 acquires radiation dose distribution data (conventional radiation therapy planning data) from the radiation therapy planning device 12 and generates internal dose distribution data (processed radiation therapy planning data) based on the radiation dose distribution data and pharmacokinetic data generated based on PET images, etc. The treatment system 13 is a system that uses the internal dose distribution data to irradiate a patient with radiation for radiation therapy. The treatment plan support system 11, the radiation therapy planning device 12, and the treatment system 13 may be connected to each other via a wired or wireless network and configured to transmit and receive various data via the network. Alternatively, the treatment planning support system 11, the radiation therapy planning device 12, and the treatment system 13 may be configured to transfer various data to each other via removable memory such as an external hard disk drive, CD, DVD, USB memory, memory stick, SD card, etc. In the following description, various data is transmitted and received via a network, but it should be noted that the data may also be transferred via removable memory, etc.

[0018] (Treatment Planning Support System) The treatment planning support system 11 includes a medical information image data acquisition unit 112 , a drug kinetic data generation unit 114 , a radiation dose distribution data acquisition unit 116 , and an internal dose distribution data generation unit 118 .

[0019] The medical information image data acquisition unit 112 acquires medical information image data indicating the distribution in the body of a diagnostic agent administered to the patient before radiation therapy from an external source, such as via a network. In this embodiment, the medical information image data corresponds to, for example, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images, PET images, or the like, which are functional images acquired at multiple time points for a patient who is the subject of radiation therapy. PET images can be acquired from a PET examination device that performed a PET examination on the patient. In this embodiment, PET images are used as an example of medical information image data.

[0020] The pharmacokinetic data generation unit 114 generates pharmacokinetic data indicating the kinetics of a therapeutic drug administered to a patient during radiation therapy based on the medical information image data acquired by the medical information image data acquisition unit 112. In this embodiment, the pharmacokinetic data generation unit 114 generates pharmacokinetic data for each patient based on the medical information image data of each patient. The pharmacokinetic data may be, for example, the distribution of BPA in the body (image B) at any time after administration of the boron drug BPA, as illustrated in FIG. 1 . The pharmacokinetic data may also be average pharmacokinetic data generated from the pharmacokinetic data of multiple patients. The average pharmacokinetic data may also be used partially. For example, the vicinity of the tumor may be imaged using dynamic PET, and the average pharmacokinetic data may be applied to areas outside the imaging range. Even when the imaging range of dynamic PET is limited, pharmacokinetic data tailored to the patient's condition may be generated. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic data may be generated more efficiently. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic data tailored to the patient's condition may be generated while reducing the amount of data.

[0021] Figure 4 shows 18 This figure shows the administration conditions of the diagnostic agent in F-FBPA PET and the therapeutic agent in BPA BNCT. 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose and 18F-boronophenylalanine positron emission tomography to investigate selection indicators for boron neutron capture therapy”, Nakaichi T, Nakamura S, Ito K, Takahashi K, Takemori M, Kashihara T, Kunito K, Murakami N, Iijima K, Chiba T, Nakayama H, Mikasa S, Nishio T, Okamoto H, Itami J, Kurihara H, and Igaki H. EJNMMI According to Phys. 2022 Dec 19; 9(1): 89, during PET imaging, 18 F-FBPA is administered as a bolus, and PET images are taken 1 hour after administration. 18The dosage of F-FBPA is approximately 0.02 mg (milligram) / kg of the patient's body weight (kg: kilogram). In contrast, in BNCT, BPA is generally administered continuously for approximately three hours. More specifically, BPA is administered continuously at 200 mg / kg / h (hour) for two hours after the start of drug administration, and neutron irradiation begins two hours after the start of drug administration. For the next hour, BPA is administered continuously at 100 mg / kg / h. (For example, "Scalp angiosarcoma treated with linear accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy: A report of two patients", Igaki H, Murakami N, Nakamura S, Yamazaki N, Kashihara T, Takahashi A, Namikawa K, Takemori M, Okamoto H, Iijima K, Chiba T, Nakayama H, Takahashi A, Kaneda T, Takahashi K, Inaba K, Okuma K, Nakayama Y, Shimada K, Nakagama H, Itami J. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 2022 Feb 18;33:128-133.) In other words, the total dose of BPA is 500 mg / kg over approximately 3 hours. As such, the drug administration conditions differ between when PET images are taken and when BNCT is performed, and these differences in conditions can affect dose assessment. (Note that the drug administration methods and drug amounts when taking PET images and when performing BNCT described above are merely examples, but it is generally well known that the drug administration conditions when taking PET images and when performing BNCT differ to the same extent as in this example.) This effect can be reduced by applying the following coefficient processing, as described in “4-Borono-2-18F-fluoro-L-phenylalanine PET for boron neutron capture therapy-oriented diagnosis: overview of a quarter century of research”, Ishiwata K, Annals of Nuclear Medicine, 28 Feb 2019, 33(4):223-236.

[0022]

[0023] In this embodiment, a compartment model is introduced to 18 The effects of differences in the administration conditions of F-FBPA and the therapeutic drug BPA were suppressed. The introduction of the compartment model can be achieved by using the method described in "Positron emission tomography-based boron neutron capture therapy using boronophenylalanine for high-grade gliomas: Part II," Imahori Y, et al. Clinical Cancer Research 4(8):1833-1841, September 1998. This literature also shows that the boron concentration estimated by the compartment model closely reflects the boron concentration in tumors actually measured after resection, and that the use of the compartment model enables more accurate dose assessment.

[0024] In this embodiment, pharmacokinetic data is generated by introducing a compartment model from medical information image data such as PET image data, but this is not limiting. For example, the pharmacokinetic data generator 114 may generate pharmacokinetic data using other methods. For example, it has been empirically found that boron drugs used in conventional PET scans accumulate in tumor areas at 3.5 times the concentration of the drug compared to normal cells. Based on this knowledge, the pharmacokinetic data generator 114 may use a drug distribution in which the ratio of drug distribution in normal cells to the tumor area is 1:3.5 as pharmacokinetic data. This allows for the use of pharmacokinetic data that is easily generated without using medical information image data and that has a certain degree of accuracy based on empirical rules.

[0025] The radiation dose distribution data acquisition unit 116 acquires radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation irradiated onto the patient's body during radiation therapy from the radiation therapy planning device 12. The radiation dose distribution data corresponds to conventional radiation therapy planning data (image A) exemplified in Fig. 1, and can be provided, for example, in an RT-Dose file in DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) format.

[0026] The internal dose distribution data generation unit 118 generates internal dose distribution data that is the sum of the radiation irradiated to the patient's body during radiation therapy and the radiation generated inside the patient's body due to the radiation irradiation, based on the radiation dose distribution data acquired by the radiation dose distribution data acquisition unit 116 and the pharmacokinetic data generated by the pharmacokinetic data generation unit 114. In this embodiment, the internal dose distribution data generation unit 118 generates internal dose distribution data (image C) by performing a convolution operation on the radiation therapy planning data (image A) with the internal BPA distribution (image B).

[0027] where, f(x, y, z, t): radiation therapy planning data (radiation dose distribution data) g(x, y, z, t): BPA distribution in the body (pharmacokinetic data) F(x, y, z, t): internal dose distribution data x: x-axis coordinate y: y-axis coordinate z: z-axis coordinate t: time.

[0028] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the radiation therapy planning data (radiation dose distribution data) f(x, y, z, t) has a parameter t and that the radiation dose changes over time, but it can also be used in the same manner as above even if there is no change over time. In that case, equation (2) can be rewritten as follows:

[0029] (Radiation Therapy Planning Device) The radiation therapy planning device 12 includes a radiation dose distribution data generating unit 122 , an internal dose distribution data transmitting / receiving unit 124 , and a display unit 126 .

[0030] The radiation dose distribution data generating unit 122 generates radiation dose distribution data. The radiation dose distribution data generated by the radiation dose distribution data generating unit 122 is transmitted to the treatment plan support system 11.

[0031] The internal dose distribution data transceiver 124 receives internal dose distribution data generated in the treatment plan support system 11. The received internal dose distribution data can be displayed on a display unit 126 configured with a display, a touch panel, or the like. A medical professional can check the displayed internal dose distribution data to determine whether or not to perform BNCT on the patient, or to review the treatment plan. Furthermore, for example, when a medical professional decides to perform BNCT based on the internal dose distribution data, the internal dose distribution data transceiver 124 transmits the internal dose distribution data to the treatment system 13.

[0032] (Therapeutic System) The therapeutic system 13 includes a radiation irradiator 132. The radiation irradiator 132 receives internal dose distribution data from the radiation therapy planning device 12, and irradiates the patient with radiation in accordance with the internal dose distribution data. Note that, in addition to the internal dose distribution data, the radiation therapy planning device 12 may also transmit various data related to radiation irradiation, such as data on the radiation dose to be irradiated to the patient, data on the irradiation position, and data on auxiliary tools used for irradiation, to the therapeutic system 13.

[0033] (Hardware Configuration) The above-described treatment planning support system 11, radiation therapy planning device 12, and treatment system 13 can be realized by a hardware configuration similar to that of a general computer device. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the treatment planning support system 11, radiation therapy planning device 12, and treatment system 13. The computer device 50 shown in Fig. 5 includes, as an example, a processor 51, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 52, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 53, an internal hard disk drive 54, a removable memory 55 such as an external hard disk drive, CD, DVD, USB memory, memory stick, or SD card, an input / output user interface 56 (keyboard, mouse, touch panel, speaker, microphone, LED (light emitting diode), etc.) through which a user inputs and outputs data to and from the computer device 50, a wired / wireless communication interface 57 capable of communicating with other computer devices, and a display 58. The processor 51 can be realized by an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a microprocessor.

[0034] Furthermore, each function of the treatment planning support system 11, radiation therapy planning device 12, and treatment system 13 according to this embodiment described in FIG. 3 can be realized, for example, by the processor 51 reading a program stored in a storage area such as the hard disk drive 54, the ROM 53, the removable memory 55, etc. into a memory area such as the RAM 52, and executing the program while appropriately reading data necessary for processing from the storage area such as the hard disk drive 54, the ROM 53, the removable memory 55, etc.

[0035] The hardware configuration shown in Fig. 5 is merely an example and is not limited to this. In Fig. 5, the treatment plan support system 11, the radiation therapy planning device 12, and the treatment system 13 are each illustrated as a single computer device 50, but may be configured by two or more computers.

[0036] In addition, the various programs that realize the functions of the treatment planning support system 11, radiation therapy planning device 12, and treatment system 13 according to this embodiment can be stored in part or in whole in a computer-readable medium, or downloaded via a wired or wireless communication network.

[0037] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence diagram of a dose evaluation method executed by the dose evaluation system according to this embodiment. The medical information image data acquisition unit 112 of the treatment planning support system 11 acquires medical information image data (PET image data) from a PET examination device (step S102). The pharmacokinetic data generation unit 114 of the treatment planning support system 11 generates pharmacokinetic data from the medical information image data acquired in step S102 using a compartment model (step S104).

[0038] The radiation dose distribution data generating unit 122 of the radiation therapy planning device 12 generates radiation dose distribution data (radiation therapy planning data) (step S106). The radiation dose distribution data is transmitted from the radiation therapy planning device 12 to the radiation dose distribution data acquiring unit 116 of the treatment plan support system 11 via the network (step S108). Note that the order of the processing of steps S102 and S104 and steps S106 and S108 may be reversed (i.e., steps S106 and S108 may precede steps S102 and S104), or they may be executed in parallel.

[0039] The internal dose distribution data generating unit 118 of the treatment plan support system 11 generates internal dose distribution data by performing a convolution operation on the radiation dose distribution data acquired in step S108 and the pharmacokinetic data generated in step S104 (step S110). The internal dose distribution data generated in step S110 is transmitted from the treatment plan support system 11 via the network to the internal dose distribution data transmitting / receiving unit 124 of the radiation therapy planning device 12 (step S112). The internal dose distribution data is displayed on the display unit 126 of the radiation therapy planning device 12 (step S114), allowing medical personnel to check the internal dose distribution data and determine whether or not to approve a treatment plan for the patient or to review the radiation therapy planning data.

[0040] If the medical staff decides to perform BNCT based on the internal dose distribution data displayed in step S114, the internal dose distribution data is transmitted to the treatment system 13 (step S116). The radiation irradiation unit 132 of the treatment system 13 irradiates the patient with neutron beams in accordance with the received internal dose distribution data (step S118).

[0041] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be embodied in various different forms within the scope of the technical concept thereof.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the boron agent is assumed to be BPA, but this is not limiting. The dose evaluation system and dose evaluation method according to this embodiment can be similarly applied to boron agents other than BPA.

[0043] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment assumes radiation therapy for tumors such as cancer, this is not intended to be limiting. The dose evaluation system and dose evaluation method according to this embodiment can also be similarly applied to BNCT (and other treatment methods involving radiation irradiation other than BNCT) for other affected areas within the patient's body. Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment describes the use of a compartment model as a method for generating pharmacokinetic data, this is not intended to be limiting. For example, pharmacokinetic data can be generated using artificial intelligence. In this case, a learning model can be constructed by training artificial intelligence using, for example, previously generated pharmacokinetic data for multiple patients and patient data such as the patient's weight, age, cancer type, and various test data as input data. Then, the in vivo drug distribution data calculated from the learning model at any time after drug administration for the patient to be treated may be used as pharmacokinetic data. When generating pharmacokinetic data, PET image data or dynamic PET image data at one or more time points (e.g., one hour after drug administration) can be used as input data for the learning model. The data to be used as input data may be determined based on the performance of the learning model.

[0044] Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown and described, but includes all embodiments that achieve equivalent effects to those intended by the present invention. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the combination of inventive features defined by each claim, but can be defined by any desired combination of specific features from among all the respective disclosed features.

[0045] The following embodiments are also within the scope of the present invention. (Invention 1) A dose evaluation method comprising the steps of: generating pharmacokinetic data indicating the kinetics within the patient's body of a therapeutic drug administered to the patient during radiation therapy; acquiring radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation irradiated to the patient's body during radiation therapy; and generating internal dose distribution data, based on the radiation dose distribution data and the pharmacokinetic data, which is the sum of the radiation irradiated to the patient's body during radiation therapy and the radiation generated within the patient's body by the irradiation of the radiation. (Invention 2) The dose evaluation method of Invention 1 further comprising the step of acquiring medical information image data indicating the internal distribution of a diagnostic drug administered to the patient before radiation therapy, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates the pharmacokinetic data based on the medical information image data. (Invention 3) The dose evaluation method of Invention 1 or Invention 2, wherein the step of generating internal dose distribution data generates the internal dose distribution data by convolution processing of the pharmacokinetic data with the radiation dose distribution data. (Invention 4) The dose evaluation method of any of Inventions 1 to 3, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates pharmacokinetic data using a compartment model. (Invention 5) The dose evaluation method according to Invention 1, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates pharmacokinetic data showing average pharmacokinetics generated from pharmacokinetic data of a plurality of patients. (Invention 6) The dose evaluation method according to Invention 1, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates pharmacokinetic data of the patient using pharmacokinetic data showing average pharmacokinetics generated from pharmacokinetic data of a plurality of patients and patient-specific pharmacokinetic data related to a part of the body of the patient who is the target of radiation therapy. (Invention 7) The dose evaluation method of Invention 2, wherein the medical information image data is PET (Positron Emission Tomography) image data.(Invention 8) A treatment planning support system comprising: a pharmacokinetic data generation unit that generates pharmacokinetic data indicating the kinetics within the body of the patient of a therapeutic drug administered to the patient during radiation therapy; a radiation dose distribution data acquisition unit that acquires radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation irradiated to the patient's body during radiation therapy; and an internal dose distribution data generation unit that generates internal dose distribution data that sums the radiation irradiated to the patient's body during radiation therapy and the radiation generated within the patient's body by the irradiation of said radiation, based on the radiation dose distribution data and the pharmacokinetic data. (Invention 9) The treatment planning support system of Invention 8 further comprises a medical information image data acquisition unit that acquires medical information image data indicating the distribution in the body of a diagnostic drug administered to the patient before radiation therapy, wherein the pharmacokinetic data generation unit generates pharmacokinetic data based on the medical information image data. (Invention 10) A computer program that causes a computer system to execute the dose evaluation method of any of Inventions 1 to 7.

[0046] 11...Treatment planning support system 112...Medical information image data acquisition unit 114...Pharmacokinetic data generation unit 116...Radiation dose distribution data acquisition unit 118...Internal dose distribution data generation unit 12...Radiation therapy planning device 122...Radiation dose distribution data generation unit 124...Internal dose distribution data transmission / reception unit 126...Display unit 13...Treatment system 132...Radiation irradiation unit 50...Computer device 51...Processor 54...Hard disk device 55...Removable memory 56...Input / output user interface 57...Communication interface 58...Display

Claims

1. A dose evaluation method comprising the steps of: generating pharmacokinetic data indicating the dynamics within the body of a patient of a therapeutic drug administered to the patient during radiation therapy; acquiring radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation irradiated to the patient's body during radiation therapy; and generating internal dose distribution data, based on the radiation dose distribution data and the pharmacokinetic data, which is the sum of the radiation irradiated to the patient's body during radiation therapy and the radiation generated within the patient's body due to the irradiation of the radiation.

2. A dose evaluation method as described in claim 1, further comprising a step of acquiring medical information image data indicating the distribution in the body of a diagnostic agent administered to the patient before radiation therapy, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates pharmacokinetic data based on the medical information image data.

3. The dose evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating the internal dose distribution data generates the internal dose distribution data by performing a convolution process of the radiation dose distribution data with the pharmacokinetic data.

4. The dose evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates the pharmacokinetic data using a compartment model.

5. The dose evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates pharmacokinetic data indicating average pharmacokinetics generated from pharmacokinetic data of a plurality of patients.

6. The dose evaluation method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating pharmacokinetic data generates pharmacokinetic data for the patient using pharmacokinetic data indicating average pharmacokinetics generated from pharmacokinetic data for a plurality of patients and patient-specific pharmacokinetic data for a part of the patient's body that is the subject of radiation therapy.

7. The dose evaluation method according to claim 2, wherein the medical information image data is PET (Positron Emission Tomography) image data.

8. A treatment planning support system comprising: a pharmacokinetic data generation unit that generates pharmacokinetic data indicating the dynamics within the body of the patient of a therapeutic drug administered to the patient during radiation therapy; a radiation dose distribution data acquisition unit that acquires radiation dose distribution data indicating the dose distribution of radiation irradiated to the body of the patient during radiation therapy; and an internal dose distribution data generation unit that generates internal dose distribution data that is the sum of radiation irradiated to the body of the patient during radiation therapy and radiation generated within the body of the patient due to the irradiation of the radiation, based on the radiation dose distribution data and the pharmacokinetic data.

9. The treatment planning support system of claim 8, further comprising a medical information image data acquisition unit that acquires medical information image data showing the distribution in the body of a diagnostic agent administered to the patient before radiation therapy, and the pharmacokinetic data generation unit generates pharmacokinetic data based on the medical information image data.

10. A computer program for causing a computer system to execute the dose evaluation method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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