Abstract: A compensating device for use in ion-based radiotherapy may comprise a disk with a number of protrusions may be placed in a radiation beam to affect the ions in the beam in different ways to create an irradiation field from a broad beam. This is particularly useful in FLASH therapy because of the limited time available or modulating the beam. A method of designing such a compensating device is proposed, comprising the steps of obtaining characteristics of an actual treatment plan comprising at least one beam, determining at least one parameter characteristic of the desired energy modulation of the actual plan by performing a dose calculation of the initial plan and, based on the at least one parameter, computing a shape for each of the plurality of elongated elements to modulate the dose of the delivery beam to mimic the dose of the initial plan per beam.

Abstract: It is provided a method for optimizing a treatment plan for use in radiation therapy. The method is performed in a treatment planning system and comprises the steps of: obtaining a first quality function of the treatment plan, the first quality function yielding an output value based on an input treatment plan; obtaining a first pair of input values and a slope indicator, the input values associating a value of the first quality function to a value of a score; constructing a score function that maps values of the first quality function to values of the score by fitting a curve to the first pair of input values and the slope indicator; and optimizing the treatment plan with respect to the score function, by varying the treatment plan such that the value of the score function is either improved or constrained to a feasible range of score values.

Abstract: A compensating device for use in ion-based radiotherapy may comprise a disk with a number of protrusions may be placed in a radiation beam to affect the ions in the beam in different ways to create an irradiation field from a broad beam. This is particularly useful in FLASH therapy because of the limited time available or modulating the beam. A method of designing such a compensating device is proposed, comprising the steps of obtaining characteristics of an actual treatment plan comprising at least one beam, determining at least one parameter characteristic of the desired energy modulation of the actual plan by performing a dose calculation of the initial plan and, based on the at least one parameter, computing a shape for each of the plurality of elongated elements to modulate the dose of the delivery beam to mimic the dose of the initial plan per beam.

Abstract: A database stores pre-calculated solutions each of which defines a radiation therapy treatment plan for a treatment volume associated with at least one target and at least one organ-at-risk. The pre-calculated solutions are divided into at least two groups each of which includes at least one pre-calculated solution. The pre-calculated solutions in a given group represent radiation therapy treatment plans which share a common beam configuration. A radiation therapy treatment plan (sc) is established based on the pre-calculated solutions as follows. A first user interface receives operator commands specifying criteria for selecting radiation therapy treatment plans from the database, the criteria defining a set of parameters for the treatment volume. In particular, the operator commands jointly specify criteria for selecting radiation therapy treatment plans from more than one of the at least two groups.

Abstract: It is provided a method for optimizing a treatment plan for use in radiation therapy. The method is performed in a treatment planning system and comprises the steps of: obtaining a first quality function of the treatment plan, the first quality function yielding an output value based on an input treatment plan; obtaining a first pair of input values and a slope indicator, the input values associating a value of the first quality function to a value of a score; constructing a score function that maps values of the first quality function to values of the score by fitting a curve to the first pair of input values and the slope indicator; and optimizing the treatment plan with respect to the score function, by varying the treatment plan such that the value of the score function is either improved or constrained to a feasible range of score values.

Abstract: An output radiation treatment plan for at least one target in a treatment volume is determined. Each target is associated with a prescribed radiation dose. An updated treatment plan causes the prescribed radiation dose to be delivered to the target when implemented by a radiation therapy machine. The updated treatment plan requires an updated delivery time to complete and is calculated by: [i] receiving a numerical value designating an upper bound on modulation efficiency of the updated treatment plan, [ii] receiving a current treatment plan, [iii] calculating a current delivery time for the current treatment plan, [iv] calculating an un-modulated delivery time for the current treatment plan, and [v] calculating the updated treatment plan by executing an optimization process while satisfying the upper bound on the modulation efficiency. Steps [ii] to [v] are traversed a predetermined number of times. Thereafter, the output radiation treatment plan is generated.

Abstract: A method for generating a radiation treatment plan is provided where uncertainties in the definition of regions of interest are incorporated and utilized by a treatment planning system for optimizing a treatment plan.

Abstract: A radiation treatment plan is determined by: [1] receiving a current fluence map defining a radiation dose; [2] receiving a current control-point sequence describing machine settings for a collimator associated with a radiation source; [3] determining an updated fluence map and an updated control-point sequence based on the current fluence map; [4] determining a further updated control-point sequence based on the updated control-point sequence and the updated fluence map; [5] determining a further updated fluence map based on the updated fluence map, the updated control-point sequence and the further updated control-point sequence; [6] checking if a stopping criterion is fulfilled; if so: stopping the process, and producing an output radiation treatment plan based on the further updated control-point sequence; and otherwise: setting the further updated fluence map, or zero, to the current fluence map; setting the further updated control-point sequence to the current control-point sequence; and returning to st

Abstract: A method and computer program for dose calculation include using information from a fraction image to update contour information from a planning image and also includes using density information from the fraction image and the planning image for performing dose calculation.

Abstract: A database stores pre-calculated solutions each of which defines a radiation therapy treatment plan for a treatment volume associated with at least one target and at least one organ-at-risk. The pre-calculated solutions are divided into at least two groups each of which includes at least one pre-calculated solution. The pre-calculated solutions in a given group represent radiation therapy treatment plans which share a common beam configuration. A radiation therapy treatment plan (sc) is established based on the pre-calculated solutions as follows. A first user interface receives operator commands specifying criteria for selecting radiation therapy treatment plans from the database, the criteria defining a set of parameters for the treatment volume. In particular, the operator commands jointly specify criteria for selecting radiation therapy treatment plans from more than one of the at least two groups.

Abstract: A radiation treatment plan is determined by: [1] receiving a current fluence map defining a radiation dose; [2] receiving a current control-point sequence describing machine settings for a collimator associated with a radiation source; [3] determining an updated fluence map and an updated control-point sequence based on the current fluence map; [4] determining a further updated control-point sequence based on the updated control-point sequence and the updated fluence map; [5] determining a further updated fluence map based on the updated fluence map, the updated control-point sequence and the further updated control-point sequence; [6] checking if a stopping criterion is fulfilled; if so: stopping the process, and producing an output radiation treatment plan based on the further updated control-point sequence; and otherwise: setting the further updated fluence map, or zero, to the current fluence map; setting the further updated control-point sequence to the current control-point sequence; and returning to st

Abstract: A method and computer program for dose calculation include using information from a fraction image to update contour information from a planning image and also includes using density information from the fraction image and the planning image for performing dose calculation.

Abstract: A method for generating a radiation treatment plan is provided where uncertainties in the definition of regions of interest are incorporated and utilized by a treatment planning system for optimizing a treatment plan.

Abstract: A method for generating a robust radiotherapy treatment plan for a treatment volume of a subject. An adjusted voxel-specific dose objective is determined by “smearing” an initial voxel-specific dose objective a specified distance in at least one direction. A treatment plan based on such adjusted dose objective will be more robust with respect to setup uncertainties and organ movements. Smearing of the dose objective corresponds to adjusting the dose objective dose value of a voxel in accordance with dose objective dose values of voxels within the specified distance.

Abstract: An output radiation treatment plan for at least one target in a treatment volume is determined. Each target is associated with a prescribed radiation dose. An updated treatment plan causes the prescribed radiation dose to be delivered to the target when implemented by a radiation therapy machine. The updated treatment plan requires an updated delivery time to complete and is calculated by: [i] receiving a numerical value designating an upper bound on modulation efficiency of the updated treatment plan, [ii] receiving a current treatment plan, [iii] calculating a current delivery time for the current treatment plan, [iv] calculating an un-modulated delivery time for the current treatment plan, and [v] calculating the updated treatment plan by executing an optimization process while satisfying the upper bound on the modulation efficiency. Steps [ii] to [v] are traversed a predetermined number of times. Thereafter, the output radiation treatment plan is generated.

Abstract: A method for generating a robust radiotherapy treatment plan for a treatment volume of a subject. An adjusted voxel-specific dose objective is determined by “smearing” an initial voxel-specific dose objective a specified distance in at least one direction. A treatment plan based on such adjusted dose objective will be more robust with respect to setup uncertainties and organ movements. Smearing of the dose objective corresponds to adjusting the dose objective dose value of a voxel in accordance with dose objective dose values of voxels within the specified distance.

Abstract: A method is provided for monitoring and/or signalling errors of a radiation therapy apparatus during delivery of a radiation treatment to a target, the radiation therapy apparatus being configurable for a given radiation treatment by means of a beam shaping device. The method includes providing a radiation array detector between the beam shaping device and the target, capable of providing a measured detector response of the radiation treatment; determining a predicted detector response for successive times of the radiation treatment; measuring the measured detector response caused by the radiation beams for corresponding successive times of the radiation treatment; performing a comparison between the measured detector response and the corresponding predicted detector response; signalling in a short reaction time, an error when the comparison results in a difference which exceeds a given threshold.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for verification of the quality of a radiation beam in conformal radiation therapy, and in particular for IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) applications.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for verification of the quality of a radiation beam in conformal radiation therapy, and in particular for IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) applications.

Abstract: A method is provided for monitoring and/or signalling errors of a radiation therapy apparatus during delivery of a radiation treatment to a target, the radiation therapy apparatus being configurable for a given radiation treatment by means of a beam shaping device. The method includes providing a radiation array detector between the beam shaping device and the target, capable of providing a measured detector response of the radiation treatment; determining a predicted detector response for successive times of the radiation treatment; measuring the measured detector response caused by the radiation beams for corresponding successive times of the radiation treatment; performing a comparison between the measured detector response and the corresponding predicted detector response; signalling in a short reaction time, an error when the comparison results in a difference which exceeds a given threshold.