A Particle Beam Transport System for the Delivery of Particle Beam Therapy

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention describes a novel system for delivering particle beam therapy (such as proton therapy) used in cancer treatment. Unlike traditional systems that reduce beam energy spread by discarding (cutting) parts of the particle beam with physical slits, this system uses a specially shaped energy attenuation member (typically a wedge made from a low atomic number material) to equalize the momentum of particles in the beam. As a result, more particles can be delivered efficiently to the patient, especially at low energies, increasing the therapy's effectiveness and reducing treatment times.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Proton or ion beam therapy for cancer treatment, especially with moving tumors or requiring rapid dose delivery (e.g., FLASH radiotherapy)
• Upgrading existing cyclotron-based particle therapy centers to improve beam transmission efficiency
• Reducing treatment time and increasing patient throughput in particle therapy clinics
• Improving motion mitigation techniques (such as breath-hold or gating) in radiotherapy by enabling ultra-high dose rates
• Facilitating consistent radiation dose delivery irrespective of tumor movement or shape changes

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly increases the transmission of therapeutic particle beams, particularly at low beam energies, thereby allowing faster and more effective treatments
• Reduces the loss of particles in the beam transport system, improving the overall efficiency and lowering operational costs
• Enables higher dose rates (including ultra-high dose rates or FLASH therapy), which can improve cancer cell killing and potentially reduce side effects
• Shortens patient treatment times, which enhances patient comfort and enables more treatments per day
• Supports better management of tumor motion during irradiation, improving precision and outcomes of cancer therapy

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The present invention is related to a particle therapy apparatus used for particle therapy. More particularly, this invention relates to a beamline and gantry comprising an energy/momentum selection system. The present invention shows a new design of an energy selection system (ESS) for cyclotron-based particle therapy beamline. This invention provides a way to reduce the momentum spread of the beam using an energy attenuation member, preferably in form of a wedge, without introducing significant beam losses. As a result, it allows for the transport of a higher number of particles through the beamline and maximizes the transmission between cyclotron and patient location for particle therapy.