Particle beam therapy system having X-ray detectors attached to a particle beam irradiation system
View Patent ↗A particle therapy system has an irradiation system attached to a rotary drum of a gantry. A radiation treatment cage disposed in the rotary drum includes a movable floor including a horizontal floor portion. The movable floor includes a number of footboards connected bendably and X-ray transmission plates. The movable floor has a slide member at each end thereof, and the slide member is movably attached to a guide rail that is provided for each of opposite side surfaces of the irradiation system. X-ray sources are disposed outside the rotary drum apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the rotary drum and attached to the outer surface of the rotary drum. The irradiation system includes X-ray detection systems opposite to the X-ray sources.
1. A particle therapy system comprising:
a gantry;
an irradiation system which is attached to the gantry and irradiates an ion beam;
a surrounding member installed in the gantry, having an orbit including an arc-like portion and a horizontal portion communicating with the arc-like portion, and configured to move along the orbit;
an X-ray detection system disposed inside the surrounding member, attached to the irradiation system, and detecting an X-ray from an X-ray source; and
the X-ray source disposed outside the surrounding member and disposed opposite to the X-ray detection system,
wherein the surrounding member includes a plurality of areas in a circumferential direction including an X-ray transmission area made of X-ray transparent material and other areas made of another material which is different from the X-ray transparent material, the X-ray transmission area being arranged between the other areas in the circumferential direction,
wherein the X-ray transmission area is disposed between the X-ray source and the X-ray detection system,
wherein the surrounding member includes a plurality of connected footboard members, and a width W 3 of the X-ray transmission area in a circumferential direction of the gantry is larger than a width W 1 of the footboard member in the circumferential direction, and
wherein a path of the X-ray through the X-ray transmission area varies based on a rotational position of the surrounding member along the orbit.
2. The particle therapy system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of connected footboard members are made of the another material which is different from the X-ray transparent material.
3. The particle therapy system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the X-ray transmission area is disposed between the adjacent footboard members and connected to the footboard members.
4. The particle therapy system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the X-ray transmission area is an X-ray transmission member having a width W 2 of the X-ray transmission member in a circumferential direction of the gantry is larger than the width W 1 .
5. The particle therapy system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the X-ray source is attached to the gantry.
6. The particle therapy system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the X-ray transmission area is an X-ray transmission member having a width W 2 of the X-ray transmission member in a circumferential direction of the gantry is larger than a width W 1 of the footboard member in the circumferential direction and is less than or equal to a value obtained by subtracting the width W 1 from a width W H of a horizontal floor portion of the surrounding member that is located in the horizontal portion of the orbit.
7. The particle therapy system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the X-ray transmission area is an X-ray transmission member that includes a plate-shaped metal member, and wherein a width W 3 of the X-ray transmission area in the circumferential direction is smaller than the width W 2 of the X-ray transmission member.
8. The particle therapy system according to claim 5 , wherein:
the X-ray source is disposed outside the gantry and attached to an outer surface of the gantry; and
an X-ray transmission hole is formed at a position on the gantry opposite to the X-ray source.
9. The particle therapy system according to claim 5 , wherein
the X-ray source includes a first X-ray source and a second X-ray source;
the first X-ray source and the second X-ray source are disposed apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the gantry;
the X-ray detection system includes a first X-ray detection system and a second X-ray detection system;
the first X-ray detection system is disposed opposite to the first X-ray source; and
the second X-ray detection system is disposed opposite to the second X-ray source.
10. The particle therapy system according to claim 9 , wherein
the X-ray transmission area is an X-ray transmission member that includes a first X-ray transmission member and a second X-ray transmission member;
wherein the first X-ray transmission member is disposed opposite to the first X-ray source; and
wherein the second X-ray transmission member is disposed opposite to the second X-ray source.
11. The particle therapy system according to claim 10 ,
wherein a width W 2 of each of the first and second X-ray transmission members in a circumferential direction of the gantry is larger than a width W 1 of the footboard member in the circumferential direction and is less than or equal to a value obtained by subtracting the width W 1 from a width W H of the horizontal floor portion of the surrounding member that is located in the horizontal portion of the orbit.
12. The particle therapy system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the width W 3 of the X-ray transmission area in the circumferential direction is smaller than the width W 2 of the X-ray transmission member.
13. The particle therapy system according to claim 1 , further comprising a pair of connectors provided for the irradiation system,
the connectors connecting between each of opposite ends of the surrounding member and each of a pair of opposite side surfaces of the irradiation system in a manner that movement in a radial direction of the gantry is possible.
14. The particle therapy system according to claim 13 , wherein the connector comprises a guide member attached to the side surface of the irradiation system and extending in the radial direction of the gantry, and a slide member attached to the end of the movable floor member and attached movably to the guide member.
15. The particle therapy system according to claim 13 , wherein the pair of side surfaces of the irradiation system opposite to each other in the rotating direction of the gantry is tapered toward a center axis of the gantry.
16. The particle therapy system according to claim 10 , wherein the surrounding member includes a first movable floor portion including a plurality of the footboard members connected bendably and the second X-ray transmission member, and a second movable floor portion including another plurality of the footboard members connected bendably and the first X-ray transmission member.
17. The particle therapy system according to claim 13 , further comprising a cover that closes an opening generated in the surrounding member, and a cover winding system that moves the cover.
18. The particle therapy system according to claim 1 , further comprising an accelerator that accelerates the ion beam, and a beam transport that is connected to the accelerator and guides the ion beam from the accelerator to the irradiation system.