web analytics

A Combined Therapy and Imaging Beam Dose Algorithm for Optimal Image-guided Radiation Therapy

Published:
Lead Inventor: Rodney Wiersma
Print or Save to PDF

SUMMARY

  • kV radiation dose for imaging tumors is useful for direct monitoring and real-time organ tracking without relying on high-risk surgical implants. However, the utility of this approach is limited by concerns of radiation overdose associated with exposing patients to an additional radiation source other than the MV treatment dose.
  • The inventors developed an algorithm that accounts for the kV radiation beam dose for imaging of a patient’s tumor as part of the MV treatment dose. This reduces the excess exposure of patients to separate radiation sources for imaging and treatment administration.
  • The invention is CT and MRI compatible software  that accounts for the kV imaging radiation dose in the total treatment radiation dose delivered to a patient’s tumor.
  • In proof-of-concept experiments the inventors applied the algorithm to a retrospective dataset and found that patients’ exposure to radiation can be reduced by up to 46%.

 

FIGURE

(a)Treatment (MV) dose with MV+kV optimization. (b) MV dose without optimization. (c)  Imaging (kV) dose with optimization. (d) kV dose without optimization. kV dose distributions are markedly reduced in MV+kV optimized treatment planning. Skin dose from kV imaging is reduced by half using the MV+kV optimization treatment. (The tumor is outlined in black. The color scale represents dose intensity with red being the highest and blue being the lowest.) 

 

ADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

  • Reduces patient exposure to radiation
  • High-resolution, real-time tumor tracking
  • No surgical implanted markers required
  • Recognizes low contrast anatomical areas
  • Compatible with pre-existing imaging modalities (MRI, CT)

 

APPLICATIONS

  • Imaging (MRI, CT)
  • Radiation therapy administration and treatment planning
  • Radiation therapy

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

  • US: 9,782,607