Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for compensating the deviation of an energetic beam of hadrons delivered by an irradiation unit of a hadron-therapy installation, with respect to an isocentre of a rotatable gantry supporting said irradiation unit, said irradiation unit comprising a collimator comprising an opening for the passage of said beam. The present invention also relates to a program comprising an algorithm for calculation of a correction to be applied to the position of an opening of a collimator of an irradiation unit of a hadron-therapy installation. The invention finally also relates to a hadron therapy installation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for obtaining a shielding element for minimizing the penumbra of a beam of hadrons outside a target area, the hadron beam being guided in a longitudinal direction by an irradiation unit, and the beam having a width (?). The method includes: (i) defining a closed or open contour of said target area; (ii) providing a block having a longitudinal thickness capable of blocking the passage of said beam and having a lateral surface perpendicular to said longitudinal thickness; (iii) forming an aperture of a shape similar to said contour and crossing said longitudinal thickness of said block for letting through said beam, said aperture forming a longitudinal internal surface; and (iv) trimming said block so as to form a longitudinal external surface around said longitudinal internals surface, said longitudinal internal and longitudinal external surfaces delimiting a side wall.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a particle therapy system that comprises a spot scanning system to irradiate with a particle beam a plurality of spots in a layer of a target with prescribed spot doses for each spot of the layer. The therapy system is further adapted to perform multiple paintings of the layer and to deliver partial spot doses to selected spots of the layer during each painting time so that each spot of the layer will have received its prescribed dose after completion of the multiple paintings. The therapy system further comprises means for setting the partial spot doses and the number of times that a spot will be selected for irradiation in the course of the multiple paintings to such values that any spot of the layer will never have to be irradiated with a partial dose which would fall below a minimum dose deliverable by the system, and this whatever the number chosen for the number of layer paintings. The invention also relates to a corresponding irradiation method.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for obtaining a shielding element for minimizing the penumbra of a beam of hadrons outside a target area, the hadron beam being guided in a longitudinal direction by an irradiation unit, and the beam having a width (?). The method includes: (i) defining a closed or open contour of said target area; (ii) providing a block having a longitudinal thickness capable of blocking the passage of said beam and having a lateral surface perpendicular to said longitudinal thickness; (iii) forming an aperture of a shape similar to said contour and crossing said longitudinal thickness of said block for letting through said beam, said aperture forming a longitudinal internal surface; and (iv) trimming said block so as to form a longitudinal external surface around said longitudinal internals surface, said longitudinal internal and longitudinal external surfaces delimiting a side wall.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a particle therapy system that comprises a spot scanning system to irradiate with a particle beam a plurality of spots in a layer of a target with prescribed spot doses for each spot of the layer. The therapy system is further adapted to perform multiple paintings of the layer and to deliver partial spot doses to selected spots of the layer during each painting time so that each spot of the layer will have received its prescribed dose after completion of the multiple paintings. The therapy system further comprises means for setting the partial spot doses and the number of times that a spot will be selected for irradiation in the course of the multiple paintings to such values that any spot of the layer will never have to be irradiated with a partial dose which would fall below a minimum dose deliverable by the system, and this whatever the number chosen for the number of layer paintings. The invention also relates to a corresponding irradiation method.