Leadless Lung Tracking for Radiation Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiation therapy for lung cancer faces challenges in accurately aligning tumors with the radiation beam due to movement caused by respiration and cardiac functions, leading to irradiation of healthy tissues and inefficiencies in delivering high doses to tumors.
Innovation Solution
A system using excitable markers implanted in or near the lung, which transmit location signals wirelessly to a sensor outside the patient, allowing for real-time tracking and precise alignment of the tumor within the radiation beam, enabling accurate delivery of radiation doses while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If larger treatment margins are used to compensate for tumor movement, then the reliability of tumor coverage is improved, but the harmful irradiation of healthy tissues increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of fixed treatment margins with a dynamic electromagnetic field-based tracking system. Electromagnetic transponders embedded in the tumor and tracked by external sensors provide real-time positional data, allowing the radiation beam to dynamically adjust its targeting without relying on static margin expansions that irradiate healthy tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by tracking the tumor's position through electromagnetic signals from transponders during radiation delivery. This real-time feedback enables dynamic adjustment of the radiation beam positioning, ensuring accurate tumor coverage while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.
2Productivity
If higher radiation doses are delivered to tumors, then the productivity of cancer destruction is improved, but the harmful effects on adjacent healthy tissues increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static radiation delivery to a dynamic system where the radiation beam continuously tracks the moving tumor using real-time electromagnetic positioning data. This dynamic adaptation allows high-dose radiation to be concentrated on the tumor throughout its motion trajectory while sparing healthy tissues that would otherwise be exposed during the treatment session.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies localized high-dose radiation precisely to the tumor region by continuously updating the beam positioning based on real-time tumor location data from electromagnetic transponders. This localized precision ensures that high doses are delivered only where needed (the tumor) while adjacent healthy tissues receive minimal or no radiation exposure.
3Ease of operation
If external reference markings are used for alignment, then the ease of operation is improved, but the measurement precision of tumor location deteriorates due to movement relative to external marks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds electromagnetic transponders directly within the tumor tissue, creating a nested structure where the tracking device is inside the target object. This eliminates the need for external reference markings and ensures that the tumor's position is tracked from within, maintaining accuracy even as the tumor moves relative to external anatomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The electromagnetic transponders serve as intermediaries between the tumor and the external tracking system. These transponders capture the tumor's position internally and transmit it wirelessly to external sensors, providing a reliable intermediary measurement that is not affected by the tumor's movement relative to external reference markings.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system allows for precise tracking and alignment of tumors, reducing the irradiation of healthy tissues and enabling higher radiation doses to be applied effectively to tumors, thus improving the efficacy of lung cancer treatment.
Implementation Method 1
transmit location signals wirelessly to a sensor outside the patient
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for treating a lung of a patient. One embodiment of a method comprises positioning a leadless marker in the lung of the patient relative to the target, and collecting position data of the marker. This method further comprises determining the location of the marker in an external reference frame outside of the patient based on the collected position data, and providing an objective output in the external reference frame that is responsive to movement of the marker. The objective output is provided at a frequency (i.e., periodicity) that results in a clinically acceptable tracking error. In addition, the objective output can also be provided at least substantially contemporaneously with collecting the position data used to determine the location of the marker.