Method and apparatus for managing radiation therapy workflow

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method performed by a processor of a radiation therapy workflow management apparatus, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first user interface for managing a radiation therapy workflow; acquiring first medical image data for a patient through the first user interface; in response to acquiring the first medical image data, providing a second user interface for analyzing a target area to be subjected to radiation therapy on the basis of the first medical image data; acquiring analysis data obtained by contouring the target area through the second user interface; and in response to acquiring the analysis data, providing a third user interface for establishing a radiation therapy plan on the basis of the analysis data.

Description

Radiation therapy workflow management method and device

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing a radiation therapy workflow.

[0002] Radiation therapy is one of the three major cancer treatments, along with surgery and chemotherapy, depending on the type and stage of cancer. By irradiating the body with high-energy radiation, radiation therapy can destroy cancer cells or reduce the size of tumors prior to surgery.

[0003] Hospitals use many systems and equipment for radiation therapy, specifically EMR (Electronic Medical Record), OCS (Order Communication System), PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), RTP (Radiation Treatment Planning), and LINAC (Linear Accelerator) radiation therapy equipment.

[0004] Since radiation therapy allows for the determination of the direction and extent of patient diagnosis and treatment planning based on medical imaging data in the DICOM format, it is important to manage radiation therapy data efficiently. Despite the unique nature of radiation therapy, the development of systems specialized for the radiation field that are compatible with various treatment equipment and capable of efficiently managing radiation therapy data is currently minimal.

[0005] The background description of the invention is provided to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention. The matters described in the background description should not be construed as an acknowledgment that they exist as prior art.

[0006] Meanwhile, an Oncology Information System has been developed and utilized to integrate and manage medical data of cancer patients. However, conventional systems merely aggregate and provide medical data on a single interface screen, and thus have limitations in providing substantial assistance to medical staff in their radiation therapy work.

[0007] Accordingly, a new method is required to systematically manage radiation therapy data for multiple patients.

[0008] As a result, the inventors of the present invention have devised a method to assist medical staff in radiation therapy work through a medical work guide that intuitively displays the radiation therapy stage currently required for a patient on a user interface based on various radiation therapy data for the patient.

[0009]

[0010] The problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0011] To solve the problem described above, a method for managing a radiation therapy workflow according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The method is a method performed by a processor of a radiation therapy workflow management device and is configured to include the steps of: providing a first user interface for managing a radiation therapy workflow; acquiring first medical image data of a patient through the first user interface; providing a second user interface for analyzing a target area subject to radiation therapy based on the first medical image data in response to the acquisition of the first medical image data; acquiring analysis data by contouring the target area through the second user interface; and providing a third user interface for establishing a radiation therapy plan based on the analysis data in response to the acquisition of the analysis data.

[0012] According to a feature of the present invention, after the step of providing the third user interface, the method may further include the step of obtaining a plurality of treatment plan data generated based on the analysis data through the third user interface, and the step of providing a fourth user interface for establishing simulated treatment data based on the plurality of treatment plan data in response to the acquisition of the plurality of treatment plan data.

[0013] According to a feature of the present invention, after the step of providing the fourth user interface, the method may further include the step of acquiring simulated treatment data generated based on the plurality of treatment plan data through the fourth user interface, and the step of acquiring second medical image data generated based on the simulated treatment plan data in response to the acquisition of the simulated treatment data.

[0014] According to a feature of the present invention, at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth user interfaces may include an area representing the radiation therapy workflow and an area representing a list of patients by radiation therapy task included in the treatment workflow.

[0015] According to a feature of the present invention, the step of providing any one of the first to fourth user interfaces may further include the step of displaying result data corresponding to a radiation therapy task obtained within the treatment workflow as one patient included in the patient list is selected.

[0016] According to a feature of the present invention, the step of acquiring the analysis data may further include the step of acquiring contouring data for the target area, which serves as a criterion for generating the analysis data, using a prediction model trained to predict a target area with medical image data as input.

[0017] According to a feature of the present invention, prior to the step of providing the second user interface, the invention may further include a step of determining whether result data corresponding to the patient's previous radiation therapy task exists according to the radiation therapy workflow.

[0018] According to a feature of the present invention, the step of determining the existence of the result data may further include, if the result data exists, a step of matching the first medical image data with the result data, and if the result data does not exist, a step of displaying a graphic object for inputting result data corresponding to the previous radiation therapy task.

[0019] To solve the problem described above, a radiation therapy workflow management device according to another embodiment of the present invention is provided. The device comprises a communication interface, a memory, and a processor operably connected to the communication interface and the memory. The processor is configured to provide a first user interface for managing a radiation therapy workflow, acquire first medical image data of a patient through the first user interface, and, in response to the acquisition of the first medical image data, provide a second user interface for analyzing a target area subject to radiation therapy based on the first medical image data, acquire analysis data contouring the target area through the second user interface, and, in response to the acquisition of the analysis data, provide a third user interface for establishing a radiation therapy plan based on the analysis data.

[0020] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0021] The present invention can provide various data for diagnosing the condition of a patient requiring radiation therapy or a patient who has undergone radiation therapy solely by acquiring radiation therapy data. For example, when various medical image data in DICOM format is acquired, the present invention allows patient identification data and medical image data to be immediately displayed on any one of the radiation therapy task interfaces within the radiation therapy workflow, depending on the type of medical image data.

[0022] The present invention can provide substantial assistance to medical staff in their work by providing them with information on which stage of treatment each of numerous patients is currently in and what treatment needs to be performed.

[0023] The present invention can improve the efficiency of medical work processing as the radiation therapy workflow is intuitively displayed step by step.

[0024] The present invention can enable rapid and accurate diagnosis of patients by improving work processing efficiency.

[0025] The effects according to the present invention are not limited to those exemplified above, and a wider variety of effects are included within the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a radiation therapy workflow management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a radiation therapy workflow management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a radiation therapy workflow management method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a radiation therapy workflow according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a user interface screen corresponding to a radiation therapy workflow according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIGS. 6, FIGS. 7a, FIGS. 7b, FIGS. 8, FIGS. 9, FIGS. 10, FIGS. 11, FIGS. 12, FIGS. 13, and FIGS. 14 are example diagrams of user interface screens provided for each radiation therapy task of a radiation therapy workflow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a medical staff device using a radiation therapy workflow according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but may be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

[0034] In this document, expressions such as "have," "can have," "include," or "can include" refer to the existence of the relevant feature (e.g., numerical values, functions, actions, or components, etc.) and do not exclude the existence of additional features.

[0035] In this document, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A or / and B,” or “one or more of A or / and B” may include all possible combinations of items listed together. For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A or B” may refer to cases including (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) both at least one A and at least one B.

[0036] Expressions such as "first," "second," "first," or "second" used in this document may modify various components regardless of order and / or importance, and are used merely to distinguish one component from another without limiting such components. For example, a first user device and a second user device may represent different user devices regardless of order or importance. For example, without departing from the scope of rights set forth in this document, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, a second component may be renamed a first component.

[0037] Where it is stated that a certain component (e.g., a first component) is "(operatively or communicatively) coupled with" or "connected to" another component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that the said certain component may be directly connected to the said other component or connected through another component (e.g., a third component). On the other hand, where it is stated that a certain component (e.g., a first component) is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), it may be understood that no other component (e.g., a third component) exists between the said certain component and the said other component.

[0038] As used in this document, the expression “configured to” may be replaced, depending on the context, with, for example, “suitable for,” “having the capacity to,” “designed to,” “adapted to,” “made to,” or “capable of.” The term “configured to” does not necessarily mean “specifically designed to” in hardware. Instead, in some situations, the expression “device configured to” may mean that the device is “capable of” in conjunction with other devices or components. For example, the phrase “processor configured to perform A, B, and C” may mean a dedicated processor for performing those operations (e.g., an embedded processor) or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or application processor) capable of performing those operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device.

[0039] The terms used in this document are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art described in this document. Terms used in this document that are defined in general dictionaries may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as they have in the context of the relevant technology, and are not to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this document. In some cases, even terms defined in this document may not be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of this document.

[0040] The features of each of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined or combined with one another, either partially or wholly, and as will be fully understood by those skilled in the art, various technical interlocking and operation are possible, and each embodiment may be implemented independently of one another or together in an interlocking relationship.

[0041] For clarity in the interpretation of this specification, the terms used in this specification are defined below.

[0042] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by explaining preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

[0043] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a radiation therapy workflow management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 1, a radiation therapy workflow management system (1000) may be a system configured to manage a plurality of radiation therapy tasks performed for radiation therapy. The radiation therapy workflow management system (1000) may include a medical data acquisition device (100) capable of acquiring radiation therapy data, a radiation therapy workflow providing device (200) (hereinafter referred to as the 'workflow management device') that manages a radiation therapy workflow based on radiation therapy data, and a medical staff device (300) that utilizes the radiation therapy workflow.

[0045] The medical data acquisition device (100) may be a device capable of generating radiation therapy data by being linked with a medical imaging device capable of acquiring medical images. Specifically, the medical data acquisition device (100) may be a device capable of acquiring medical images and generating a radiation therapy plan based on medical images by being linked with a CT (Computed Tomography) device, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device, a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) device, a CT simulator, and a CR (Computed Radiography) device. Here, the radiation therapy data may include medical image data and radiation therapy plan data based on medical images, and for example, the medical data acquisition device (100) may provide radiation therapy data such as CT, RTSS (RT Structure Set), RT-Plan, and RT-Dose to a workflow management device (200).

[0046] The workflow management device (200) may include a general-purpose computer, a laptop, and a data server, etc., as a server of a management service provider capable of managing the work of medical staff by classifying patients by radiation therapy task using various data regarding radiation therapy. The workflow management device (200) may provide a user interface that displays a workflow generated based on radiation therapy data. Specifically, when the workflow management device (200) acquires radiation therapy data for a patient, it may provide a user interface to the medical staff device (300) that displays the next radiation therapy task suitable for the radiation therapy data in response.

[0047] The medical staff device (300) is a device possessed by a medical staff member using the radiation therapy workflow and may include a smartphone, tablet PC (Personal Computer), laptop, and PC. The medical staff device (300) may install or run a web or mobile application or program provided by the workflow management device (200). For example, the medical staff device (300) may run a web page or program for workflow management and may output a list of patients by radiation therapy task in the radiation therapy workflow. The medical staff device (300) may input the processing results of radiation therapy tasks for patients included in the patient list.

[0048] Meanwhile, the processing result of a radiation therapy task can be utilized as radiation therapy data, and accordingly, the medical data acquisition device (100) can also be understood as a medical staff device (300). Accordingly, in the case of the medical data acquisition device (100), a web or mobile application or program provided by the workflow management device (200) may be installed or executed. Through the web page or program for workflow management executed on the medical data acquisition device (100), the medical staff can acquire medical image data according to the radiation therapy task or generate analysis data, treatment plan data, simulated treatment data, etc.

[0049] The medical staff device (300) can output multiple user interfaces existing for each radiation therapy task, and the workflow regarding radiation therapy can be managed through the multiple user interfaces.

[0050] Up to now, a radiation therapy workflow management system (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described, and below, a workflow management device (200) that provides a radiation therapy workflow management service will be described.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a radiation therapy workflow management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 2, the workflow management device (200) may include a communication interface (210), a memory (220), an I / O interface (230), and a processor (240), and each component may communicate with one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0053] The communication interface (210) can be connected to the medical data acquisition device (100) and the medical staff device (300) via a wired / wireless communication network to exchange data. For example, the communication interface (210) can receive radiation therapy data such as CT, RTSS (RT Structure Set), RT-Plan, and RT-Dose from the medical data acquisition device (100). Here, the radiation therapy data may be in DICOM format. As another example, the communication interface (210) can transmit a user interface to the medical staff device (300) that is updated in response to the acquisition of radiation therapy data.

[0054] Meanwhile, a communication interface (210) that enables the transmission and reception of such data includes a wired communication port (211) and a wireless circuit (212), wherein the wired communication port (211) may include one or more wired interfaces, for example, Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, etc. Additionally, the wireless circuit (212) may transmit and receive data with an external device via an RF signal or an optical signal. Furthermore, wireless communication may use at least one of a plurality of communication standards, protocols, and technologies, such as GSM, EDGE, CDMA, TDMA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, VoIP, Wi-MAX, or any other suitable communication protocol.

[0055] The memory (220) can store various data used in the workflow management device (200). For example, the memory (220) can store user interface screens for radiation therapy workflow management provided to the medical staff device (300), patient identification data, radiation therapy data, etc.

[0056] In various embodiments, the memory (220) may include a volatile or non-volatile recording medium capable of storing various data, commands, and information. For example, the memory (220) may include at least one type of storage medium among a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory, etc.), RAM, SRAM, ROM, EEPROM, PROM, network storage, cloud, and blockchain database.

[0057] In various embodiments, the memory (220) may store at least one configuration of an operating system (221), a communication module (222), a user interface module (223), and one or more applications (224).

[0058] An operating system (221) (e.g., embedded operating systems such as LINUX, UNIX, MAC OS, WINDOWS, VxWorks, etc.) may include various software components and drivers for controlling and managing general system operations (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and may support communication between various hardware, firmware, and software components.

[0059] The communication module (223) can support communication with another device through the communication interface (210). The communication module (220) may include various software components for processing data received by the wired communication port (211) or wireless circuit (212) of the communication interface (210).

[0060] The user interface module (223) can receive user requests or inputs from a keyboard, touch screen, keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc. through the I / O interface (230) and provide a user interface on the display.

[0061] The application (224) may include a program or module configured to be executed by one or more processors (240). Here, the application for machine learning model computation may be implemented on a server farm.

[0062] The I / O interface (230) can connect at least one of an input / output device (not shown) of the workflow management device (200), such as a display, keyboard, touch screen, and microphone, to the user interface module (223). The I / O interface (230) can receive user input (e.g., voice input, keyboard input, touch input, etc.) together with the user interface module (223) and process commands based on the received input.

[0063] The processor (240) is connected to the communication interface (210), memory (220), and I / O interface (230) to control the overall operation of the workflow management device (200), and can execute various commands to determine different radiation therapy tasks for each patient in response to the acquisition of multiple radiation therapy data through an application or program stored in the memory (220) and to provide them to medical staff.

[0064] The processor (240) may correspond to a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an AP (Application Processor). Additionally, the processor (240) may be implemented in the form of an Integrated Chip (IC), such as a System on Chip (SoC) that integrates various computing devices. Alternatively, the processor (240) may include a module for computing artificial neural network models, such as a Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

[0065] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, a method by which the processor (240) of the workflow management device (200) manages a radiation workflow will be described.

[0066] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a radiation therapy workflow management method according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a radiation therapy workflow according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 3, the processor (240) may provide a first user interface for managing a radiation therapy workflow (S110). Specifically, the radiation therapy workflow may consist of a set of a series of radiation therapy tasks performed before and after irradiating a patient with radiation. The processor (240) may provide a first user interface capable of acquiring and displaying medical imaging data necessary to establish a radiation therapy plan before performing radiation therapy.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 4, the radiation therapy workflow may include a radiation therapy task group defined as a consultation (S10), treatment planning (S20), contouring (S30), treatment room assignment (S40), simulation treatment (S50), Quality Assurance (QA) (60), and treatment phase (S70). Specifically, medical treatment (S10) may include multiple radiation therapy tasks defined as treatment with other departments (S10-1), referral for consultation (S10-2), and treatment with other departments (S10-3); treatment planning (S20) may include multiple radiation therapy tasks defined as determining technique / start date (S20-1), determining imaging protocol (S20-2), and CT scanning (S20-3); contouring (S30) may include multiple radiation therapy tasks defined as designating a body region (Normal) (S30-1), designating a target site within the region (Target) (S30-2), and confirming the target site (Confirm) (S30-3); and simulation treatment (TPS) (S50) may include multiple radiation therapy tasks defined as dose constraint and verification (Constraint / Port) (S50-1), optimization and dose calculation (S50-2), and dose confirmation (Confirm) (S50-3). QA (S60) may include multiple radiation therapy tasks defined as Patient QA Plan (S60-1), Plan Delivery (S60-2), Plan Analysis (S60-3), and Chart Check (S60-4), and the treatment phase (S70) may include multiple radiation therapy tasks defined as Treatment Time Allocation (S70-1), Treatment Start (S70-2), Follow-up (S70-3), and Adaptive Response Check (S70-4). Here, some radiation therapy task groups may have radiation therapy data in DICOM format that can be obtained through the performance of radiation therapy tasks.For example, when a medical team performs a series of radiation therapy tasks included in a treatment plan (S20), a CT (20a) can be obtained as radiation therapy data; when a medical team performs a series of radiation therapy tasks included in contouring (S30), an RT Structure Set (30a) can be obtained as radiation therapy data; when a medical team performs a series of radiation therapy tasks included in a simulated treatment (S50), an RT Plan and RT Dose (50a) can be obtained as radiation therapy data; and when a medical team performs a series of radiation therapy tasks included in a treatment phase (S70), a CBCT (Cone Beam CT) (70a) can be obtained as radiation therapy data.

[0069] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a user interface screen corresponding to a radiation therapy workflow according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 5, the processor (240) may provide a user interface (100) for displaying radiation therapy data managed through a radiation therapy workflow. Specifically, the user interface (100) may include an area representing a preset radiation therapy workflow and an area representing a list of patients by radiation therapy task included in the radiation therapy workflow. Additionally, the radiation therapy workflows provided by the user interface (100) may be classified based on radiation therapy data. For example, the processor (240) may define each of a plurality of radiation therapy task groups (20, 30, 50, 60) as an item and provide first to fourth user interfaces for each item.

[0071] In addition, the radiation therapy workflow may further include a daily treatment schedule (10) item and may display the patients' treatment schedules on the user interface.

[0072] Referring again to FIG. 4, after step S110, the processor (240) can acquire first medical image data of a patient through a first user interface capable of displaying medical image data (S120). In response to the acquisition of the first medical image data, the processor (240) can provide a second user interface for analyzing a target area subject to radiation therapy based on the first medical image data (S130). Specifically, when the processor (240) receives a CT (20a) from a medical data acquisition device (100), it can display the first medical image data on the first user interface.

[0073] The processor (240) can match the first medical image data displayed on the first user interface with the patient's treatment data according to the input of the medical staff. Here, the treatment data can be understood as radiation therapy data produced in the previous radiation therapy task group (treatment step (S10)). The processor (240) can determine that the first medical image data has been finally acquired through the matching of the first medical image data and the treatment data, and can provide a second user interface in response to the acquisition of the first medical image data. Here, providing the second user interface can be understood as transferring the patient corresponding to the first medical image data to the next radiation therapy task group.

[0074] In this regard, FIGS. 6, FIGS. 7a, FIGS. 7b, FIGS. 8, FIGS. 9, FIGS. 10, FIGS. 11, FIGS. 12, FIGS. 13, and FIGS. 14 are example diagrams of user interface screens provided for each radiation therapy task of a radiation therapy workflow according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 6, the processor (240) may provide a first user interface (120) capable of displaying first medical image data to a medical device (300). The first user interface (120) may include an area (121) in which a plurality of patient tags for distinguishing the first medical image data are displayed, an area (122) in which a list of patients sorted by patient tags is displayed, and a graphic object (23) for matching the first medical image data with treatment data corresponding to a treatment plan (S10).

[0076] The processor (240) can determine whether there is treatment data that is matchable with the first medical image data when the graphic object (123) is selected by the medical staff. That is, the processor (240) can determine whether there is result data corresponding to the patient's previous radiation therapy task according to the radiation therapy workflow. Here, the previous radiation therapy task can be understood as a plurality of radiation tasks included in a radiation therapy task group defined as Treatment (S10), and the result data can be understood as treatment data.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 7a, the processor (240) may provide a pop-up window (124) for selecting one result data on the first user interface (120). For example, the processor (240) may provide a pop-up window that allows selecting one of the treatment data present to the patient, along with a phrase such as “Please select a treatment to connect CT to.” When one result data is selected by the medical staff, the processor (240) may match the first medical image data with the corresponding result data.

[0078] In addition, the pop-up window (124) provided by the processor (240) may further include an area (125) for inputting result data. Accordingly, if result data, which is the output of the medical treatment (S10), does not exist, the processor (240) can receive new result data from the medical staff.

[0079] Referring to FIG. 7b, the processor (240) can provide a pop-up window (126) for receiving result data, i.e., treatment data, including Treatment Name, Technique, Treatment Room, Phase, and Total Fraction, on the first user interface (120).

[0080] In addition, the processor (240) can extract multiple data corresponding to patient tags from the first medical image data so that patients can be sorted through patient tags. For example, the processor (240) can extract data corresponding to Series Data, Patient ID, Patient Name, Study Description, Series Description, Study Date, Series Time, NOI, and Imported Datetime from the first medical image data.

[0081] In this way, result data of a previous radiation therapy task is matched to the first medical imaging data, so that the patient's initial radiation therapy workflow can be established. The processor (240) can move the patient to a contouring (S30) group according to the radiation therapy workflow.

[0082] Referring again to FIG. 3, the processor (240) can acquire analysis data contouring the target area through a second user interface (S140). In response to the acquisition of analysis data, the processor (240) can provide a third user interface for establishing a radiation therapy plan based on the analysis data (S150). Specifically, when the processor (240) receives analysis data from a medical data acquisition device (100) or a medical staff device (300), it can display the analysis data on the second user interface. Here, the target area may include an area suspected of being a tumor in an organ, bone, or muscle, such as the brain, neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis.

[0083] The processor (240) can register the analysis data displayed on the second user interface to the radiation therapy workflow according to the input of the medical staff. The processor (240) may determine that the analysis data has been finally acquired through registration to the radiation therapy workflow and may provide a third user interface in response to the acquisition of the analysis data. Here, providing a third user interface can be understood as transferring the patient corresponding to the analysis data to the next radiation therapy task group.

[0084] As the processor (240) acquires the first medical image data, it can acquire contouring data for a target area that serves as a standard for generating analysis data by using a prediction model trained to predict a target area using the medical image data as input. Specifically, the processor (240) can provide the contouring data to a medical data acquisition device (100) or a medical device (300), and can receive an RT Structure Set generated based on the contouring data from the medical data acquisition device (100) or the medical device (300) as analysis data that analyzes the target area.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 8, the processor (240) may provide a second user interface (130) capable of displaying analysis data to a medical staff device (300). The second user interface (130) may include an area (131) in which a plurality of patient tags for distinguishing analysis data are displayed, an area (132) in which a list of patients sorted by patient tags is displayed, and a graphic object (133) for checking analysis data and registering it in a radiation therapy workflow.

[0086] When a graphic object (133) is selected by medical staff, the processor (240) can move the patient to the treatment room assignment (S40) group according to the radiation therapy workflow, and then move the patient who has been assigned to the treatment room to the simulation treatment (S50) group.

[0087] In addition, the processor (240) can extract multiple data corresponding to patient tags from the analysis data so that patients can be sorted through patient tags. For example, the processor (240) can extract data corresponding to Start Data, Patient ID, Patient Name, CT Name, RT Structure set Name, Phase, Technique, Machine, and Energy.

[0088] The processor (240) can acquire multiple treatment plan data generated based on analysis data through a third user interface. In response to acquiring multiple treatment plan data, the processor (240) can provide a fourth user interface for establishing simulated treatment data based on the multiple treatment plan data. Specifically, when the processor (240) receives multiple treatment plan data from a medical data acquisition device (100) or a medical staff device (300), it can display multiple treatment plan data on the third user interface. Here, the multiple treatment plan data may include RT-Plan and RT-Dose.

[0089] The processor (240) can register multiple treatment plan data displayed on the third user interface into the radiation therapy workflow according to the input of the medical staff. The processor (240) can determine that one of the treatment plan data has been finally acquired through registration into the radiation therapy workflow and can provide a fourth user interface in response to the acquisition of the treatment plan. Here, providing the fourth user interface can be understood as transferring the patient corresponding to the treatment plan data to the next radiation therapy task group.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 9, the processor (240) may provide a third user interface (150) capable of displaying treatment plan data to a medical staff device (300). The third user interface (150) may include an area (151) in which a plurality of patient tags for distinguishing treatment plan data are displayed, an area (152) in which a list of patients sorted by patient tags is displayed, and a graphic object (153) for checking treatment plan data and registering it in a radiation therapy workflow.

[0091] In addition, the processor (240) can extract multiple data corresponding to patient tags from the treatment plan data so that patients can be sorted by patient tags. For example, the processor (240) can extract data corresponding to Start Data, Patient ID, Patient Name, RT Plan Name, Phase, Technique, Machine, Energy, Pathology, or data corresponding to Treatment name, Phase, Progress status, Confirmed Date, Urgency, Treatment period, Additional treatment schedule, Modality, Energy, Machine No., Treatment option, Total Fraction.

[0092] Referring to FIG. 10, the processor (240) may provide a pop-up window (154) for checking treatment plan data on a third user interface when a graphic object (153) is selected by a medical professional. For example, the processor (240) may provide a pop-up window in which detailed data related to the patient's Treatment Status, Treatment Information, and Dosimetric Information that the medical professional needs to check is listed, and additional treatment plan data such as Treatment Name, Phase, Urgency, Treatment Period, Additional Treatment Schedule, Modality, Machine Room, and Total Fraction can be entered.

[0093] The processor (240) can move the patient to the QA (S60) group based on the input from the medical staff through the pop-up window (154).

[0094] The processor (240) can acquire simulated treatment data generated based on multiple treatment plan data through a fourth user interface. The processor (240) can acquire second medical image data generated based on the simulated treatment data.

[0095] Referring to FIG. 11, the processor (240) may provide a fourth user interface (160) capable of displaying simulated treatment data to a medical staff device (300). The fourth user interface (160) may include an area (161) in which a plurality of patient tags for distinguishing simulated treatment data are displayed, an area (162) in which a list of patients sorted by patient tags is displayed, and a graphic object (163) for verifying the simulated treatment data and registering it in a radiation therapy workflow.

[0096] In addition, the processor (240) can extract multiple data corresponding to patient tags from the simulated treatment data so that patients can be sorted through patient tags. For example, the processor (240) can extract data corresponding to Start Date, Phase, Patient ID, Patient Name, Technique, Patient QA, Delivery Result, and Pass Rate.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 12, the processor (240) may provide a pop-up window (164) for checking simulated treatment data on the fourth user interface when a graphic object (163) is selected by a medical professional. For example, the processor (240) may provide a pop-up window in which detailed data related to the patient’s Treatment Information and Measurement that the medical professional needs to check is listed, and additional simulated treatment data such as DQA Type, measurement date, measurement confirmation status, time required, DQA seq, Energy / Unit, final, Lock, [Phantom, Chamber, Electrometer, temperature, atmospheric pressure, k_TP, Isocenter] data, [analysis date, Gamma equivalent point dose error, Gamma pass Rate, Result, Absolute / Relative, analysis Physicist, confirmation Physicist, confirmation status and remarks] can be entered.

[0098] In this way, the processor (240) can acquire simulated treatment data immediately before radiation therapy and, in response to the simulated treatment data, acquire second medical image data generated based on the simulated treatment data. Here, the second medical image data may be CBCT (Cone Beam CT) (70a).

[0099] Meanwhile, the processor (240) may provide a fifth user interface for managing a list of patients included in a radiation therapy workflow.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 13, the fifth user interface (170) provided by the processor (240) may include an area (171) where data tags are displayed to distinguish whether result data corresponding to the patient's gender, radiation therapy method, and radiation therapy task has been acquired, an area (172) where a list of patients sorted by data tags is displayed, and a graphic object (173) for selecting options within the data tags. For example, the fifth user interface (170) may distinguish the patient's scheduled radiation therapy method as Adaptive, Boost, Cone Down, or Primary Re Plan through Phase tags. As another example, the fifth user interface (170) may distinguish whether the patient's RT Structure Set, RT-Plan, and RT-Dose have been acquired as Failure, In Progress, Not Connected, or Success through RT Structure Set, RT-Plan, and RT-Dose tags. As yet another example, the fifth user interface (170) may distinguish whether the patient's Patient QA has been acquired or confirmed as Confirmed, Delivered, or Not Performed through Patient QA tags.

[0101] Meanwhile, when any one of the patients is selected from the patient list on the first to fifth user interfaces provided by the processor (240), the processor (240) can display result data corresponding to a radiation therapy task within the treatment workflow.

[0102] Referring to FIG. 14, the processor (240) may provide a pop-up window (174) for displaying the patient's medical data log on the first to fifth user interfaces (110, 120, 130, 140, 150) when one patient is selected by medical staff. Specifically, the pop-up window (174) may include and display data such as medical image data, target area, simulated treatment data, and treatment log included in one treatment session.

[0103] Up to now, a radiation therapy workflow management device (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described. According to the present invention, various data for diagnosing the condition of a patient requiring radiation therapy or a patient who has undergone radiation therapy can be provided solely by acquiring radiation therapy data.

[0104] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a medical staff device using a radiation therapy workflow according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 15, the medical device (300) may include a memory interface (310), one or more processors (320) and a peripheral interface (330). Various components within the medical device (300) may be connected by one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0106] The memory interface (310) is connected to the memory (350) and can transmit various data to the processor (320). Here, the memory (350) may include at least one type of storage medium among flash memory type, hard disk type, multimedia card micro type, card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory, etc.), RAM, SRAM, ROM, EEPROM, PROM, network storage, cloud, and blockchain database.

[0107] In various embodiments, the memory (350) may store medical staff identification data, patient identification data, patient list, patient diagnosis results, and elements of a radiation therapy workflow web page or program screen necessary for establishing and executing a radiation therapy plan for the patient.

[0108] In various embodiments, memory (350) may store at least one of an operating system (351), a communication module (352), a graphical user interface module (GUI) (353), a sensor processing module (354), a telephone module (355), and an application module (356). Specifically, the operating system (351) may include instructions for processing basic system services and instructions for performing hardware operations. The communication module (352) may communicate with at least one of one or more other devices, computers, and servers. The graphical user interface module (GUI) (353) may process a graphical user interface. The sensor processing module (354) may process sensor-related functions (e.g., processing voice input received through one or more microphones (392)). The telephone module (355) may process telephone-related functions. The application module (356) may perform various functions of a user application, such as electronic messaging, web browsing, media processing, navigation, imaging, and other processing functions. In addition, the medical staff device (300) may store one or more software applications (356-1, 356-2) associated with any one type of service (e.g., an application for verifying a radiation therapy workflow) in memory (350).

[0109] In various embodiments, the memory (350) can store a digital assistant client module (357) (hereinafter, DA client module) and accordingly store commands for performing client-side functions of the digital assistant and various user data (358) (e.g., user-customized vocabulary data, preference data, user's electronic address book, etc.).

[0110] Meanwhile, the DA client module (357) can obtain voice input, text input, touch input and / or gesture input from a user through various user interfaces (e.g., I / O subsystem (340)) provided in the medical device (300).

[0111] Additionally, the DA client module (357) can output data in the form of audiovisual and tactile elements. For example, the DA client module (357) can output data consisting of a combination of at least two of voice, sound, notifications, text messages, menus, graphics, videos, animations, and vibrations. Furthermore, the DA client module (357) can communicate with a digital assistant server (not shown) using a communication subsystem (380).

[0112] In various embodiments, the DA client module (357) may collect additional information about the surrounding environment of the medical staff device (300) from various sensors, subsystems, and peripheral devices to construct the context associated with the user input. For example, the DA client module (357) may provide context information along with the user input to a digital assistant server to infer the user's intent. Here, the context information that may accompany the user input may include sensor information, e.g., lighting, ambient noise, ambient temperature, images, videos, etc. of the surrounding environment. As another example, the context information may include the physical state of the medical staff device (300) (e.g., device orientation, device location, device temperature, power level, speed, acceleration, motion patterns, cellular signal strength, etc.). As yet another example, the context information may include information related to the software state of the medical staff device (300) (e.g., processes running on the medical staff device (300), installed programs, past and present network activity, background services, error logs, resource usage, etc.).

[0113] In various embodiments, the memory (350) may include additional or deleted instructions. Furthermore, the medical device (300) may include additional configurations in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 15, or exclude some configurations.

[0114] The processor (320) can control the overall operation of the medical device (300) and can execute various commands to generate and register analysis data that analyzes a target area based on medical image data, or to establish and register radiation treatment plans or simulated treatment data by running an application or program stored in memory (350).

[0115] The processor (320) may correspond to a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an AP (Application Processor). Additionally, the processor (320) may be implemented in the form of an integrated chip (IC), such as a System on Chip (SoC) that integrates various computing devices that perform machine learning, such as a Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

[0116] In various embodiments, the processor (320) may receive a user interface for using a radiation therapy workflow from a workflow management device (200). The processor (320) may link the first medical image data and the treatment data according to the input of the medical staff. Additionally, the processor (320) may generate analysis data based on contouring data and register it on the user interface according to the input of the medical staff, generate multiple treatment plan data based on the analysis data and register it on the user interface, and generate simulated treatment data based on the multiple treatment plan data and register it on the user interface.

[0117] The peripheral interface (330) is connected to various sensors, subsystems, and peripheral devices and can provide data to enable the medical device (300) to perform various functions. Here, it can be understood that the medical device (300) performing a function is performed by the processor (320).

[0118] The peripheral interface (330) may receive data from a motion sensor (360), a light sensor (light sensor) (361), and a proximity sensor (362), thereby enabling the medical device (300) to perform orientation, light, and proximity detection functions. As another example, the peripheral interface (330) may receive data from other sensors (362) (positioning system—GPS receiver, temperature sensor, biometric sensor), thereby enabling the medical device (300) to perform functions related to the other sensors (362).

[0119] In various embodiments, the medical device (300) may include a camera subsystem (370) connected to a peripheral interface (330) and an optical sensor (371) connected thereto, thereby enabling the medical device (300) to perform various shooting functions such as taking photos and recording video clips.

[0120] In various embodiments, the medical device (300) may include a communication subsystem (380) connected to a peripheral interface (330). The communication subsystem (380) is composed of one or more wired / wireless networks and may include various communication ports, radio frequency transceivers, and optical transceivers.

[0121] In various embodiments, the medical device (300) includes an audio subsystem (390) connected to a peripheral interface (330), and the audio subsystem (390) includes one or more speakers (391) and one or more microphones (392), so that the medical device (300) can perform voice-operated functions, such as voice recognition, voice replication, digital recording, and telephone functions.

[0122] In various embodiments, the medical staff device (300) may include an I / O subsystem (340) connected to a peripheral interface (330). For example, the I / O subsystem (340) may control a touch screen (343) included in the medical staff device (300) through a touch screen controller (341).

[0123] For example, the touch screen controller (341) can detect user contact and movement or interruption of contact and movement using any one of a plurality of touch sensing technologies, such as capacitive, resistive, infrared, surface acoustic wave technology, proximity sensor array, etc. As another example, the I / O subsystem (340) can control other input / control devices (344) included in the medical device (300) through other input controller(s) (342). As an example, other input controller(s) (342) can control one or more pointer devices such as buttons, rocker switches, thumb wheels, infrared ports, USB ports, and styluses.

[0124] Up to now, a medical staff device (300) according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described. According to the present invention, the medical staff device (300) can provide substantial assistance to the medical staff in their work by providing information to the medical staff regarding which treatment stage each of numerous patients is currently in and what treatment needs to be performed.

[0125] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments and may be modified in various ways within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to explain, not limit, the technical spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical spirits within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method performed by a processor of a radiation therapy workflow management device, A step of providing a first user interface for managing a radiation therapy workflow; A step of acquiring first medical image data of a patient through the first user interface; A step of providing a second user interface for analyzing a target area subject to radiation therapy based on the first medical image data in response to the acquisition of the first medical image data; A step of obtaining analysis data contoured through the target area via the second user interface; and A method for managing a radiation therapy workflow comprising: a step of providing a third user interface for establishing a radiation therapy plan based on the analysis data in response to the acquisition of the analysis data.

2. In Paragraph 1, After the step of providing the third user interface mentioned above, The step of obtaining a plurality of treatment plan data generated based on the analysis data through the third user interface, and A radiation therapy workflow management method further comprising the step of providing a fourth user interface for establishing simulated treatment data based on the plurality of treatment plan data in response to the acquisition of the plurality of treatment plan data.

3. In Paragraph 2, After the step of providing the fourth user interface above, The step of obtaining simulated treatment data generated based on the plurality of treatment plan data through the fourth user interface, and A radiation therapy workflow management method further comprising the step of acquiring second medical image data generated based on the simulation plan data in response to the acquisition of the simulation treatment data.

4. In Paragraph 3, At least one of the first, second, third, and fourth user interfaces is, A method for managing a radiation therapy workflow, comprising an area representing the radiation therapy workflow and an area representing a list of patients by radiation therapy task included in the treatment workflow.

5. In Paragraph 4, The step of providing any one of the first to fourth user interfaces above is: A method for managing a radiation therapy workflow, further comprising the step of displaying result data corresponding to a radiation therapy task obtained within the treatment workflow as a result of selecting any one patient included in the above patient list.

6. In Paragraph 1, The step of acquiring the above analysis data is, A radiation therapy workflow management method further comprising the step of acquiring contouring data for a target area, which serves as a criterion for generating analysis data, using a prediction model trained to predict a target area using medical imaging data as input.

7. In Paragraph 1, Prior to the step of providing the second user interface mentioned above, A method for managing a radiation therapy workflow, further comprising the step of determining whether result data corresponding to the patient's previous radiation therapy task exists according to the radiation therapy workflow.

8. In Paragraph 7, The step of determining the existence of the above is, If the above result data exists, a step of matching the first medical image data and the result data, and A radiation therapy workflow management method further comprising the step of displaying a graphic object for inputting result data corresponding to the previous radiation therapy task when the above result data does not exist.

9. Communication interface; Memory; and A processor operably connected to the communication interface and the memory; comprising The above processor is, A radiation therapy workflow management device configured to provide a first user interface for managing a radiation therapy workflow, acquire first medical image data of a patient through the first user interface, provide a second user interface for analyzing a target area subject to radiation therapy based on the first medical image data in response to the acquisition of the first medical image data, acquire analysis data contouring the target area through the second user interface, and provide a third user interface for establishing a radiation therapy plan based on the analysis data in response to the acquisition of the analysis data.

10. In Paragraph 9, The above processor is, A radiation therapy workflow management device further configured to provide, after providing the third user interface, a plurality of treatment plan data generated based on the analysis data through the third user interface, and a fourth user interface for establishing simulated treatment data based on the plurality of treatment plan data in response to the acquisition of the plurality of treatment plan data.

11. In Paragraph 10, The above processor is, A radiation therapy workflow management device further configured to, after providing the fourth user interface, acquire simulated treatment data generated based on the plurality of treatment plan data through the fourth user interface, and acquire second medical image data generated based on the simulated treatment plan data in response to the acquisition of the simulated treatment data.

12. In Paragraph 11, At least one of the first, second, third, and fourth user interfaces is, A radiation therapy workflow management device comprising an area representing the radiation therapy workflow and an area representing a list of patients by radiation therapy task included in the treatment workflow.

13. In Paragraph 12, The above processor is, A radiation therapy workflow management device further configured to display result data corresponding to a radiation therapy task obtained within the treatment workflow, as a result of selecting any one of the first to fourth user interfaces, while providing any one of the first to fourth user interfaces.

14. In Paragraph 9, The above processor is, A radiation therapy workflow management device further configured to acquire contouring data for a target area, which serves as a criterion for generating the analysis data, by using a prediction model trained to predict a target area using medical image data as input while acquiring the analysis data.

15. In Paragraph 9, The above processor is, A radiation therapy workflow management device further configured to determine whether result data corresponding to the patient's previous radiation therapy task exists according to the radiation therapy workflow, prior to providing the second user interface above.

16. In Paragraph 15, The above processor is, A radiation therapy workflow management device further configured to match the first medical image data with the result data when the result data exists, and to display a graphic object for inputting result data corresponding to the previous radiation therapy task when the result data does not exist.

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