1229 results about "Radiation therapy" patented technology

A method and system for physiological gating is disclosed. A method and system for detecting and predictably estimating regular cycles of physiological activity or movements is disclosed. Another disclosed aspect of the invention is directed to predictive actuation of gating system components. Yet another disclosed aspect of the invention is directed to physiological gating of radiation treatment based upon the phase of the physiological activity. Gating can be performed, either prospectively or retrospectively, to any type of procedure, including radiation therapy or imaging, or other types of medical devices and procedures such as PET, MRI, SPECT, and CT scans.

A method for determining a radiation treatment plan for a radiotherapy system providing multiple individual rays of intensity modulated radiation iteratively optimized the fluence of an initial set of such rays by a function that requires knowledge of only the prescribed dose and the dose resulting from the particular ray fluences. In this way, the need to store individual dose distributions of each ray are eliminated.

A radiation therapy system that includes a radiation source that moves about a path and directs a beam of radiation towards an object and a cone-beam computer tomography system. The cone-beam computer tomography system includes an x-ray source that emits an x-ray beam in a cone-beam form towards an object to be imaged and an amorphous silicon flat-panel imager receiving x-rays after they pass through the object, the imager providing an image of the object. A computer is connected to the radiation source and the cone beam computerized tomography system, wherein the computer receives the image of the object and based on the image sends a signal to the radiation source that controls the path of the radiation source.

The present invention provides a system 10 for irradiating a breast 20 of a patient 22. The system 10 comprises a gantry 12 rotatable about a horizontal axis 14 and comprising a radiation source 16 for generating a radiation beam 18 and a detector 24 spaced from the radiation source 16, and a barrier 26 disposed between the patient 22 and the gantry 12. The barrier 26 is provided with an opening 30 adapted to allow a breast 20 passing therethrough to be exposed to the radiation beam 18. In some embodiments, the barrier 26 is provided with an opening 30 adapted to allow both the breast 20 and the tissue leading from the breast to axilla and the muscle tissue of the adjacent chest wall passing therethrough to be exposed to the radiation beam 18.

Methods of treating, preventing and managing an asbestos-related disease or disorder are disclosed. Specific embodiments encompass the administration of an immunomodulatory compound, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, solvate, hydrate, stereoisomer, clathrate, or prodrug thereof, alone or in combination with a second active agent and/or chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation therapy. Pharmaceutical compositions, single unit dosage forms, and kits suitable for use in the methods of the invention are also disclosed.

A combination MRI and radiotherapy system comprising: a) an MRI system for imaging a patient receiving radiotherapy, comprising a magnetic field source suitable for generating a magnetic field of strength and uniformity useable for imaging, capable of being ramped up to said magnetic field in less than 10 minutes, and ramped down from said magnetic field in less than 10 minutes; b) a radiation source configured for applying radiotherapy; and c) a controller which ramps the magnetic field source down to less than 20% of said magnetic field strength when the radiation source is to be used for radiotherapy, and ramps the magnetic field source up to said magnetic field strength when the MRI system is to be used for imaging.

A system and method for positioning a patient for radiotherapy is provided. The method comprises: acquiring a first x-ray image sequence of a target inside the patient at a first angle; acquiring first respiratory signals of the patient while acquiring the first x-ray image sequence; acquiring a second x-ray image sequence of the target at a second angle; acquiring second respiratory signals of the patient while acquiring the second x-ray image sequence; synchronizing the first and second x-ray image sequences with the first and second respiratory signals to form synchronized first and second x-ray image sequences; identifying the target in the synchronized first and second x-ray image sequences; and determining three-dimensional (3D) positions of the target through time in the synchronized first and second x-ray image sequences.

Methods and compositions for medical imaging, evaluating intracellular processes and components, radiotherapy of intracellular targets, and drug delivery by the use of novel cell membrane-permeant peptide conjugate coordination and covalent complexes having target cell specificity are provided. Kits for conjugating radionuclides and other metals to peptide coordination complexes are also provided.

Methods of treating, preventing or managing leukemias are disclosed. The methods encompass the administration of an immunomodulatory compound of the invention known as Revlimid® or lenalidomide. The invention further relates to methods of treatment using this compound with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy or immunotherapy. Pharmaceutical compositions and single unit dosage forms suitable for use in the methods of the invention are also disclosed.

A radiation therapy system comprises a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system combined with an irradiation system, which can include one or more linear accelerators (linacs) that can emit respective radiation beams suitable for radiation therapy. The MRI system includes a split magnet system, comprising first and second main magnets separated by gap. A gantry is positioned in the gap between the main MRI magnets and supports the linac(s) of the irradiation system. The gantry is rotatable independently of the MRI system and can angularly reposition the linac(s). Shielding can also be provided in the form of magnetic and/or RF shielding. Magnetic shielding can be provided for shielding the linac(s) from the magnetic field generated by the MRI magnets. RF shielding can be provided for shielding the MRI system from RF radiation from the linac.

Devices and methods are provided for generating laser-accelerated high energy polyenergetic positive ion beams that are spatially separated and modulated based on energy level. The spatially separated and modulated high energy polyenergetic positive ion beams are used for radiation therapy. In addition, methods are provided for treating patients in radiation treatment centers using therapeutically suitable high energy polyenergetic positive ion beams that are provided by spatially separating and modulating positive ion beams. The production of radioisotopes using spatially separated and modulated laser-accelerated high energy polyenergetic positive ion beams is also provided.

This technology relates generally to compounds and methods for stimulating neurogenesis (e.g., post-natal neurogenesis, including post-natal hippocampal and hypothalamic neurogenesis) and/or protecting neuronal cell from cell death. Various compounds are disclosed herein. In vivo activity tests suggest that these compounds may have therapeutic benefits in neuropsychiatric and/or neurodegenerative diseases such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, normal aging, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome, spinocerebellar ataxia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, stroke, radiation therapy, chronic stress, abuse of a neuro-active drug, retinal degeneration, spinal cord injury, peripheral nerve injury, physiological weight loss associated with various conditions, as well as cognitive decline associated with normal aging, chemotherapy, and the like.

The invention provides novel classes of HDAC inhibitors. Methods of sensitizing a cancer cell to the cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy are also provided as well as methods for treating cancer and methods for treating neurological diseases. Additionally, the invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising an HDAC inhibitor of the invention, and kits comprising a container containing an HDAC inhibitor of the invention.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for treatment of a solid tumor. More particularly, the invention comprises a multi-axis and/or multi-field charged particle cancer therapy system. In one embodiment, the tumor is imaged from multiple directions in phase with patient respiration. The two-dimensional images are combined to produce a three-dimensional picture of the tumor relative to patient features. The resulting three-dimensional image is used in generation of a radiation treatment plan and subsequent radiation therapy with the radiation beam in terms of control of two-dimensional beam trajectory, delivered beam energy, delivered beam intensity, and/or beam velocity each as a function of patient vertical translation position, patient rotation position, and/or patient respiration.

Apparatus and methods for treating a patient using radiation therapy. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a tube configured to receive a radiation source and an expandable member. The tube has a first end configured to be inserted into a patient and a second end that is generally configured to remain external to the patient. The expandable member is at the first end of the tube, and it is configured to contain the radiation source. The expandable member can comprise a balloon, flexible bladder, mechanical linkage (e.g., a cage), a mesh, or other suitable expandable systems. The apparatus further includes a marker associated with the expandable member such that the marker moves with the expandable member.

A radiation therapy system comprises a radiation source generating a beam of radiation and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus. An interface acts between the radiation source and the MRI apparatus that permits irradiation to be performed simultaneously with imaging. The MRI apparatus and radiation source are coupled such that the system can be used in a rotation mode whereby the radiation source can irradiate a subject from basically any angle without reducing MRI image quality.

Methods of optimizing a laser-accelerated proton radiation dose to a targeted region are disclosed. Disclosed methods include providing a plurality of modulated polyenergetic proton beamlets and irradiating the targeted region with the plurality of modulated beamlets.

The present invention provides methods of using current but incomplete data to prepare an approximated complete image of a patient potentially undergoing radiation therapy. A complete image of the patient is fused or aligned with a limited patient image using image registration techniques. The aligned image is converted to sinogram data. This sinogram data is compared to sinogram data corresponding to the limited patient image to determine what data exists beyond the scope of the limited sinogram. Any additional data is added to the limited data sinogram to obtain a complete sinogram. This complete sinogram is then reconstructed into an image that approximates the complete image that would have been taken at the time the limited image was obtained.