Adaptive Radiation Therapy System for Real-Time Tumor Position Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radiation therapy treatment plans often fail to accurately account for changes in the position of tumors during treatment due to factors like tumor shrinkage, movement, or patient movement, leading to misalignment between pre-treatment images and actual tumor location during therapy delivery.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive radiation therapy delivery system that uses contemporaneous imaging to rapidly acquire and compare imaging slices with earlier-acquired volumetric reference images, allowing for real-time adjustment of the therapy protocol to align the radiation beam with the current tumor position, including adjustments to the patient position, beam collimation, and delivery timing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional offline treatment planning is used, then treatment plan creation time is reduced, but treatment accuracy deteriorates due to tumor position changes during therapy delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by acquiring imaging slices before the radiation therapy delivery begins, and continuously updates the treatment plan during the therapy process. This allows the system to prepare adjustment protocols in advance while also adapting to real-time tumor position changes, resolving the contradiction between planning time and treatment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by comparing current imaging slices with the original planning images, determining tumor position deviations, and automatically adjusting the treatment plan accordingly. This closed-loop feedback ensures continuous improvement of treatment accuracy without significant time loss, as adjustments are made based on real-time or near-real-time imaging data.
2Manufacturing precision
If comprehensive imaging is performed to track tumor position, then treatment accuracy is improved, but imaging time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the imaging process by acquiring only the necessary imaging slices at specific time points during the radiation therapy delivery, rather than performing comprehensive continuous imaging. This selective imaging approach maintains treatment accuracy by capturing tumor position changes while significantly reducing the total imaging time required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by acquiring imaging slices at strategically selected moments rather than continuously or comprehensively. This partial imaging approach provides sufficient information for accuracy adjustments without the time cost of complete continuous imaging, optimizing the balance between precision and time efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If adaptive real-time imaging is implemented, then treatment accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex imaging and processing tasks into discrete manageable components: acquiring imaging slices at specific times, comparing slices with original plans, determining position deviations, and generating adjustment protocols. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity by breaking down the adaptive imaging process into separate functional modules that can be independently optimized and controlled.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces intermediary processing steps that simplify the relationship between imaging data and treatment adjustments. By using intermediate representations such as deviation calculations and standardized adjustment protocols, the system reduces the direct complexity of real-time adaptive imaging while maintaining high treatment accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
An adaptive therapy delivery system can receive imaging information including a volumetric image comprising a target such as a tumor or one or more other structures, and can receive imaging information corresponding to one or more imaging slices comprising different portions of the target, such as imaging slices acquired at different times after acquisition of the volumetric image. The system can spatially register information from an earlier-acquired image with a portion of the target included in a later-acquired one of the imaging slices. The system can then determine an updated location of the target indicated by the spatially-registered information. Using the updated location, the system can generate an updated therapy protocol to control delivery of a therapy beam.