Abstract: A proton beam therapy system 1 includes an irradiation nozzle 25 for irradiating a target 31A with a particle beam, a proton beam irradiation control system 41 that controls the irradiation nozzle 25, a dose monitor 27B that measures an irradiation amount of the particle beam emitted to the target 31A, a position monitor 27A that measures a position of the particle beam emitted to the target 31A, and a dose distribution evaluation system during irradiation 55 that calculates a dose distribution of the particle beam emitted to the target 31A during irradiation. This system supports a medical staff to quickly and appropriately make an intervention determination for treatment such as discontinuation of particle therapy, a change in conditions thereof, or the like in the process of particle irradiation.

Abstract: The system includes a bed on which an irradiation target is mounted, an irradiation device that irradiates the irradiation target with a particle beam, and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that captures an image of an irradiation object and includes a magnet that generates a static magnetic field in an image capturing space in which the irradiation target is disposed, and a yoke disposed outside the image capturing space and through which a magnetic flux of the generated magnetic field passes. The irradiation device 21 is disposed on a back surface side of the yoke when viewed from the image capturing space, and irradiates the irradiation target with the particle beam from a through-hole or gap provided in the yoke. A direction in which the particle beam enters the image capturing space intersects with a direction of a static magnetic field applied to the image capturing space by the magnet.

Abstract: A proton beam therapy system 1 includes an irradiation nozzle 25 for irradiating a target 31A with a particle beam, a proton beam irradiation control system 41 that controls the irradiation nozzle 25, a dose monitor 27B that measures an irradiation amount of the particle beam emitted to the target 31A, a position monitor 27A that measures a position of the particle beam emitted to the target 31A, and a dose distribution evaluation system during irradiation 55 that calculates a dose distribution of the particle beam emitted to the target 31A during irradiation. This system supports a medical staff to quickly and appropriately make an intervention determination for treatment such as discontinuation of particle therapy, a change in conditions thereof, or the like in the process of particle irradiation.

Abstract: Ion beams are efficiently extracted with an accelerator that includes a circular vacuum container including a pair of circular return yokes facing each other. Six magnetic poles are radially disposed from the injection electrode at the periphery thereof in the return yoke. Six recessions are disposed alternately with the respective magnetic poles in the circumferential direction of the return yoke. In the vacuum container, a concentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories centered around the injection electrode are present, is formed, and an eccentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories eccentric from the injection electrode are present, is formed around the region. In the eccentric trajectory region, the beam turning trajectories are dense between the injection electrode and the inlet of the beam extraction path. Gaps between the beam turning trajectories are wide in a direction 180° opposite to the inlet of the beam extraction path.

Abstract: The invention provides a particle therapy system in which whether to perform any one irradiation method of a raster scanning method and a discrete spot scanning method can also be selected based on previous selection depending on a target volume 41 of a patient 4 to be irradiated, and either of the irradiation methods of the raster scanning method and the discrete spot scanning method is configured to be capable of being performed by one irradiation apparatus 500. Therefore, a small particle therapy system capable of achieving both higher accuracy irradiation and high dose rate improvement is provided.

Abstract: An accelerator 4 includes a circular vacuum container including circular return yokes 5A, 5B. An injection electrode 18 is disposed closer to an inlet of a beam extraction path 20 in the return yoke 5B than a central axis C of the vacuum container. Magnetic poles 7A to 7F are radially disposed from the injection electrode 18 at the periphery of the injection electrode 18 in the return yoke 5B. Recessions 29A to 29F are disposed alternately with the magnetic poles 7A to 7F in the circumferential direction of the return yoke 5B. In the vacuum container, a concentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories centered around the injection electrode 18 are present, is formed, and an eccentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories eccentric from the injection electrode 18 are present, is formed around the region.

Abstract: The invention provides a particle therapy system in which whether to perform any one irradiation method of a raster scanning method and a discrete spot scanning method can also be selected based on previous selection depending on a target volume 41 of a patient 4 to be irradiated, and either of the irradiation methods of the raster scanning method and the discrete spot scanning method is configured to be capable of being performed by one irradiation apparatus 500. Therefore, a small particle therapy system capable of achieving both higher accuracy irradiation and high dose rate improvement is provided.

Abstract: The accelerator includes a circular vacuum container which contains a circular return yoke. With respect to the central axis of the vacuum container, an incidence electrode is arranged towards the entrance of a beam emission path inside of the return yoke. Inside of the return yoke, electrodes are arranged radially from the incidence electrode in the periphery of the incidence electrode. Recesses are arranged alternately with the electrodes in the circumferential direction of the return yoke. In the vacuum container, an orbit-concentric region is formed in which multiple beam orbits centered on the incidence electrode are present, and, in the periphery of said region, an orbit-eccentric area is formed in which multiple beam orbits eccentric to the incidence electrode are present. In the orbit-eccentric region, the beam orbits between the incidence electrode and the entrance to the beam emission path are denser.

Abstract: Ion beams are efficiently extracted with an accelerator that includes a circular vacuum container including a pair of circular return yokes facing each other. Six magnetic poles are radially disposed from the injection electrode at the periphery thereof in the return yoke. Six recessions are disposed alternately with the respective magnetic poles in the circumferential direction of the return yoke. In the vacuum container, a concentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories centered around the injection electrode are present, is formed, and an eccentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories eccentric from the injection electrode are present, is formed around the region. In the eccentric trajectory region, the beam turning trajectories are dense between the injection electrode and the inlet of the beam extraction path. Gaps between the beam turning trajectories are wide in a direction 180° opposite to the inlet of the beam extraction path.

Abstract: An accelerator 4 includes a circular vacuum container including circular return yokes 5A, 5B. An injection electrode 18 is disposed closer to an inlet of a beam extraction path 20 in the return yoke 5B than a central axis C of the vacuum container. Magnetic poles 7A to 7F are radially disposed from the injection electrode 18 at the periphery of the injection electrode 18 in the return yoke 5B. Recessions 29A to 29F are disposed alternately with the magnetic poles 7A to 7F in the circumferential direction of the return yoke 5B. In the vacuum container, a concentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories centered around the injection electrode 18 are present, is formed, and an eccentric trajectory region, in which multiple beam turning trajectories eccentric from the injection electrode 18 are present, is formed around the region.

Abstract: The accelerator includes a circular vacuum container which contains a circular return yoke. With respect to the central axis of the vacuum container, an incidence electrode is arranged towards the entrance of a beam emission path inside of the return yoke. Inside of the return yoke, electrodes are arranged radially from the incidence electrode in the periphery of the incidence electrode. Recesses are arranged alternately with the electrodes in the circumferential direction of the return yoke. In the vacuum container, an orbit-concentric region is formed in which multiple beam orbits centered on the incidence electrode are present, and, in the periphery of said region, an orbit-eccentric area is formed in which multiple beam orbits eccentric to the incidence electrode are present. In the orbit-eccentric region, the beam orbits between the incidence electrode and the entrance to the beam emission path are denser.

Abstract: First ions and second ions that are heavier than first ions are generated in an ion source. One kind of ions of the first ions and second ions is injected into an accelerator by action of a switching magnet and accelerated in the accelerator. An ion beam including the one kind of ions is extracted from the accelerator to a beam transport system and a tumor volume of a patient is irradiated with the ion beam from an irradiation nozzle. In the irradiation of the ion beam, a tumor volume depth and the largest underwater range of each ion species are compared, and an ion species in which the tumor volume depth becomes the longest underwater range or lower is injected into the accelerator, and accelerated by the accelerator. The tumor volume is irradiated with the ion species.

Abstract: A charged particle irradiation system is capable of shortening the irradiation time and the treatment time by performing efficient irradiation even when irregular variation occurs in the irradiation object during the gating irradiation. The extraction of the beam is stopped upon reception of a regular extraction permission end signal which is outputted based on a regular movement signal. An extractable state maintaining function operates upon the reception of the extraction permission end signal. When a preset standby time elapses without receiving an extraction permission start signal again during the standby time, the extractable state maintaining function finishes its operation and a charged particle beam generator decelerates the beam. Also, the extraction of the beam is stopped due to reception of an irregular extraction permission end signal during the irradiation. When the extraction permission start signal is received again during the standby time, the extraction of the beam is restarted.

Abstract: A spot determination unit classifies an irradiation region to be irradiated with a charged particle beam into a plurality of layers in an irradiation direction of the charged particle beam, and arranges a plurality of irradiation spots in the plurality of layers. The irradiation spots are classified into groups in accordance with at least either a distance between one irradiation spot and another irradiation spot which are arranged in the same layer or a target irradiation dose of each irradiation spot. A plan is prepared for continuously emitting the charged particle beam while the irradiation position is changed from an irradiation spot belonging to a certain group to a subsequent irradiation spot, and so as to stop emitting the charged particle beam while the irradiation position is changed from an irradiation spot belonging to a certain group to an irradiation spot belonging to another group located in the same layer.

Abstract: Provided are a charged particle beam generation apparatus, a charged particle beam irradiation apparatus, a particle beam therapy system, and a charged particle beam generation apparatus operating method capable of implementing injection of a charged particle beam into a circular accelerator at an arbitrary timing by setting a normal operation period of a linear accelerator to be larger than a shortest period and securing a stability of the beam. In timing control of controlling injecting, accelerating, emitting, and decelerating processes of a synchrotron (200), after an end of the emitting process, a linear accelerator (111) is allowed to stop repetition of an operation based on an after-end-of-emitting-process timing signal to be in a stand-by state and is allowed to be start the repetition of the operation in a constant period based on a master signal.

Abstract: Provided are a charged particle beam generation apparatus, a charged particle beam irradiation apparatus, a particle beam therapy system, and a charged particle beam generation apparatus operating method capable of implementing injection of a charged particle beam into a circular accelerator at an arbitrary timing by setting a normal operation period of a linear accelerator to be larger than a shortest period and securing a stability of the beam. In timing control of controlling injecting, accelerating, emitting, and decelerating processes of a synchrotron 200, after an end of the emitting process, a linear accelerator 111 is allowed to stop repetition of an operation based on an after-end-of-emitting-process timing signal to be in a stand-by state and is allowed to be start the repetition of the operation in a constant period based on a master signal.

Abstract: A particle beam irradiation system having a multi-energy extraction control operation that controls the extraction beam energy in a synchrotron within a short time, such that when the ion beam irradiation is halted, an operating cycle is updated within a short time and a dose rate is improved. To this end, operating control data for each of the devices constituting the synchrotron is constructed by multi-energy extraction control pattern data for controlling extraction of beams of a plurality of energy levels at one operating cycle, and a plurality of sets of deceleration control data that correspond to the extraction control of the beam of the plurality of energy levels. The devices are controlled by using the operating control data.

Abstract: A particle therapy system is capable of reducing an increase in treatment time caused by the initialization operation of magnets in the execution of the scanning irradiation method successively changing the energy level of a beam extracted from an accelerator. An irradiation control apparatus has a scheme that calculates setting vales of excitation current for bending magnets for a transport system on every irradiation condition (energy condition), and sets appropriate excitation current values according to the irradiation sequence. The irradiation control apparatus 35 prestores in a current supply control table 1 reference current values determined corresponding to energy levels of the ion beam, prestores in current supply compensation value tables 1, 2 compensation current values determined corresponding to energy levels of the ion beam and numbers of times of changing the energy level, and calculates the excitation current value of the magnets by using the values prestored in the tables.

Abstract: A charged particle irradiation system is capable of shortening the irradiation time and the treatment time by performing efficient irradiation even when irregular variation occurs in the irradiation object during the gating irradiation. The extraction of the beam is stopped upon reception of a regular extraction permission end signal which is outputted based on a regular movement signal. An extractable state maintaining function operates upon the reception of the extraction permission end signal. When a preset standby time elapses without receiving an extraction permission start signal again during the standby time, the extractable state maintaining function finishes its operation and a charged particle beam generator decelerates the beam. Also, the extraction of the beam is stopped due to reception of an irregular extraction permission end signal during the irradiation. When the extraction permission start signal is received again during the standby time, the extraction of the beam is restarted.

Abstract: In a particle therapy treatment planning system for creating treatment plan data, the movement of a target (patient's affected area) is extracted from plural tomography images of the target, and the direction of scanning is determined by projecting the extracted movement on a scanning plane scanned by scanning magnets. Irradiation positions are arranged on straight lines parallel with the scanning direction making it possible to calculate a scanning path for causing scanning to be made mainly along the direction of movement of the target. The treatment planning system can thereby realize dose distribution with improved uniformity.