Abstract: A method of generating a radiotherapy plan for ion therapy, wherein the beam (6) is shaped by means of passive devices is arranged to allow variation in settings of at least one of the passive devices and/or the MU during the delivery of the beam and to control the movement of the patient and/or the beam in such a way as to create an arc. The arc is preferably a continuous arc or includes at least one continuous sub-arc. The method may include forward planning or optimization. In the latter case, the optimization uses an optimization problem set up to allow variation in settings of at least one of the range modulating device (9), the aperture element (11) and the MU during the delivery of the arc. Computer programs control the planning and the delivery.

Abstract: A radiotherapy treatment planning method for achieving a FLASH radiotherapy treatment plan involves optimizing the plan using an optimization problem that has been designed to maximize the part of the irradiation that will be delivered under FLASH conditions, in particular to an organ at risk, to minimize the damage to the organ at risk.

Abstract: A radiation delivery system includes a chair on which the patient may be seated during treatment and a modulating assembly (10) for use in radiotherapy comprises a modulator wheel (15), said modulator wheel being shaped as a rim defining the circumference of a circle or an elliptic shape, and having varying thickness around the circumference, said modulator wheel (15) being arranged in such a way that a beam traveling from a radiation source (13) to a patient will intersect the rim of the modulator wheel, said wheel being arranged to rotate in such a way that the beam will intersect the rim in varying positions around the circumference. The wheel will modulate the energy of the beams passing through material having varying thickness as the modulator wheel rotates.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to the field of radiation treatment. More specifically, the present disclosure generally relates to methods and radiation treatment systems for facilitating a multimodal radiation therapy treatment plan, in particular a multimodal radiation therapy plan employing a combined photon beam and electron beam radiation treatment. According to one example embodiment described in the disclosure, a method may comprise obtaining information related to a set of candidate beam types for the combined photon beam and electron beam radiation treatment; comparing the set of candidate beam types against a selection criterion to establish a subset of beam types from the candidate beam types; and generating the combined photon beam and electron beam radiation treatment plan utilizing the thus established subset of beam types.

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 radiotherapy treatment planning method for achieving a FLASH radiotherapy treatment plan involves optimizing the plan using an optimization problem that has been designed to maximize the part of the irradiation that will be delivered under FLASH conditions, in particular to an organ at risk, to minimize the damage to the organ at risk.

Abstract: An inverse-planning method (100), by which a treatment plan specifying a non-photon irradiation of a patient including a target volume is generated, comprises: obtaining (110, 112) first and second plan goals in terms of a respective first and second numerical condition on the treatment plan’s photon-equivalent dose as computed using a first and second RBE factor; and generating (114) the treatment plan by an optimization process aiming to satisfy the first, second and any further plan goals, wherein (a) the first and second plan goals apply to volumes which either are included in the TV or are completely or partially separate from the TV and/or (b) the first and second RBE factors are variable. In a further aspect, a data carrier provides a treatment plan with these characteristics together with reporting quantities relating to fulfilment of the first and second plan goals.

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 method of optimizing a radiotherapy treatment plan for delivering charged particles to a patient by pencil beam scanning, involves optimizing the treatment plan using an optimization problem that is designed to allow spots to differ in at least one of shape and orientation, and optionally also in size. This enables the optimization spots so as to cover the target in the best possible way and with a sharp penumbra along the outer edges of the target. The invention also relates to a computer program product and a computer system for use in such planning and a treatment delivery system for delivering such a plan.

Abstract: A radiotherapy treatment planning method for achieving a FLASH radiotherapy treatment plan involves optimizing the plan using an optimization problem that has been designed to maximize the part of the irradiation that will be delivered under FLASH conditions, in particular to an organ at risk, to minimize the damage to the organ at risk.

Abstract: A method of optimizing a radiation treatment plan of ion treatment, in which the optimization procedure is interrupted, some but not all low-weight spots are discarded and the optimization procedure is resumed with a reduced set of spots. The weight of one or more remaining spots may be increased before resuming the optimization procedure, for example by adding the spot weight of one or more of the discarded spots to one or more of the remaining spots.

Abstract: A system for determining a treatment plan in active ion beam treatment, to minimize unwanted dose, while maintaining or improving target dose coverage, whereby a beam is split into at least two sub-beams and where each sub-beam has a range shifter of different settings.

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 method for generating a robust radiotherapy treatment plan for a treatment volume of a subject, the treatment volume being defined using a plurality of voxels, the method comprising the steps of defining (S100) an optimization problem using at least one optimization function for a biological endpoint related to the radiotherapy treatment; defining (S102) a set of scenarios comprising at least a first scenario and a second scenario, wherein at least two of the scenarios in the set of scenarios represent different biological models to quantify the same biological endpoint; calculating (S104) an optimization function value for each scenario in the set of scenarios; generating (S106) a radiotherapy treatment plan by robustly optimizing the optimization function value evaluated over the set of scenarios

Abstract: A method of evaluating a radiation therapy (RT) treatment plan for a treatment volume, divided into sub-volumes and having a target volume and one or more organs at risk, OAR. It includes obtaining a RT treatment plan; calculating the linear energy transfer, LET, in each sub-volume; dividing the dose distribution into doses of a first category and a second category in each sub-volume, wherein the first category comprises doses with energy depositions with an LET below a first LET threshold and the second category comprises doses with energy depositions with an LET above a second LET threshold; determining amounts of doses of the first and of the second category in each sub-volume; and performing an analysis of the quality of the RT treatment plan by metrics based on the obtained distribution of doses of the first and of the second category in the target volume and in the OAR.

Abstract: A radiotherapy treatment plan for grid therapy in which a patient is radiated from a source of radiation with a set of spatially fractionated beams of charged particles such as protons, including varying the direction of each beam in the set of beams. Generating the plan comprises the steps of determining a first path through the patient to a first Bragg peak position and determining a second path through the patient, at least a part of the second path being directed at an angle from the first path to a first deflected Bragg peak position. The beam directions may be varied by means of magnetic fields or by varying the relative angle between the gantry and the patient.

Abstract: The trajectory of a beam of charged particles within a patient may be changed by the application of a magnetic field. In that way, the position of the beam's Bragg peak may be controlled for a beam having a specific direction and energy.

Abstract: A method of radiotherapy treatment planning for creating a plan for delivery of radiation to a patient in at least one particle-based arc is proposed. The delivery time for the plan is reduced by including a penalty in the objective function, designed to limit the number of energy layers and/or the number of energy layer changes.

Abstract: A method for ion based radiation therapy treatment planning for avoiding dose delivery to a distal risk organ, said risk organ being located after the target seen from a first beam angle, the method comprising defining an optimization function comprising at least one objective function related to at least one desired property of the treatment plan, wherein the objective function is related to limiting a parameter ? defining the fraction of the total number ?OAR of ions that reach the risk organ relative to the total number ?a of ions. In addition, one can assume a different density when calculating ? which will result in a plan that is more robust with respect to density perturbations.

Abstract: A method of generating a radiotherapy plan for ion therapy, wherein the beam (6) is shaped by means of passive devices is arranged to allow variation in settings of at least one of the passive devices and/or the MU during the delivery of the beam and to control the movement of the patient and/or the beam in such a way as to create an arc. The arc is preferably a continuous arc or includes at least one continuous sub-arc. The method may include forward planning or optimization. In the latter case, the optimization uses an optimization problem set up to allow variation in settings of at least one of the range modulating device (9), the aperture element (11) and the MU during the delivery of the arc. Computer programs control the planning and the delivery.