IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,623,093
Granted Patent B2
US 12,623,093 · App. 18/695,565 · Granted May 12, 2026

Continuum radiotherapy treatment planning

Inventors: Jens Olof Sjolund (Uppsala, SE); Carl Axel Håkan Nordström (Stockholm, SE)
Assignee: Elekta AB (publ)
A61N5/1047A61N5/103G16H20/40G16H30/40G16H40/63G16H50/20G16H50/50G16H50/70
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,623,093
App. No.
18/695,565
Granted
May 12, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for dynamic radiotherapy treatment planning in a continuous space of computation. Example operations for generating treatment plan data for a radiotherapy treatment include: obtaining data for a radiotherapy treatment of a human subject; generating a set of radiation controls from the data for the radiotherapy treatment, with at least one of the radiation controls being based on a mapping from a continuous (e.g., infinite dimensional) computational space; converting the generated set of radiation controls to a set of treatment delivery parameters, the set of treatment delivery parameters corresponding to capabilities of a radiotherapy treatment machine; and producing treatment plan data for the radiotherapy treatment based on the set of treatment delivery parameters.

Claims (38)

1 . A computer-implemented method for radiotherapy treatment planning, the method comprising:

obtaining data for a radiotherapy treatment of a human subject;

generating a set of radiation controls from the data for the radiotherapy treatment, wherein at least one of the radiation controls is based on a mapping from a continuous computational space;

converting the generated set of radiation controls to a set of treatment delivery parameters, the set of treatment delivery parameters corresponding to capabilities of a radiotherapy treatment machine; and

producing treatment plan data for the radiotherapy treatment based on the set of treatment delivery parameters.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the set of radiation controls comprises solving an optimization problem for the radiotherapy treatment.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein optimization variables of the optimization problem comprise a set of auxiliary variables related to at least one of the radiation controls, having a relation defined by a linear operator.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein an objective function of the optimization problem comprises a functional that maps the radiation controls, based on the continuous computational space, into a scalar value.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the set of radiation controls comprises producing a simulation of a radiation dose distribution corresponding to a particular set of radiation controls.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein producing the simulation of the radiation dose distribution corresponding to the particular set of radiation controls comprises applying a transform to produce simulated dose calculations, wherein the transform is defined in the continuous computational space as a convolution.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein applying the transform comprises producing a convolution between a patient-specific dose deposition kernel or fluence deposition matrix and a radiation control corresponding to at least one of irradiation time or radiation intensity.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein each dose deposition kernel or fluence deposition matrix represents a dose rate from a particular sector, a particular collimator, and a particular isocenter, to a particular location in a patient to receive the radiotherapy treatment.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein applying the transform comprises applying a Fourier transform, and wherein the simulated dose calculations are represented as a multiplication in Fourier space.

10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein applying the transform comprises applying one of a: wavelet, Laplace, Hankel, Mellin, or Hilbert transform.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the generated set of radiation controls to the set of treatment delivery parameters is based on minimizing a degradation of plan quality according to a clinically relevant objective.

12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

collapsing the set of treatment delivery parameters to a path to perform the radiotherapy treatment, based on a type of the radiotherapy treatment machine.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the collapsing of the set of treatment delivery parameters is performed using curvelets.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein converting the set of radiation controls to the set of treatment delivery parameters comprises discretizing at least a portion of the set of radiation controls into a set of finite-dimensional treatment delivery parameters.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the set of the radiation controls that belongs to the continuous computational space comprises using a probabilistic language of random fields, performing computations using a finite subset of points, and using interpolation to determine properties of each infinite-dimensional radiation control.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the data for the radiotherapy treatment comprises imaging data based on a defined two-dimensional or three-dimensional grid.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the data for the radiotherapy treatment comprises a definition of one or more volumes to receive the radiotherapy treatment from the radiotherapy treatment machine.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the definition of one or more volumes defines one or more organ at risk areas and one or more target areas.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of radiation controls are based on modulation of radiation using at least one of: focus position, directionality, irradiation time, flux, fluence, energy, or collimation, for the radiation.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiotherapy treatment is provided with a Gamma knife, and wherein the set of treatment delivery parameters comprises a set of isocenters used for delivery of the radiotherapy treatment.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the set of treatment delivery parameters further comprises timing for delivery of the radiotherapy treatment and a sequence for the delivery of the radiotherapy treatment.

22 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the radiotherapy treatment is provided with a Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) or Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) using a Linac radiotherapy machine, and wherein the set of treatment delivery parameters comprises a set of arc control points.

23 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions for radiotherapy treatment planning, wherein the instructions, when executed with a computing machine, cause the computing machine to perform operations that:

obtain data for a radiotherapy treatment of a human subject;

generate a set of radiation controls from the data for the radiotherapy treatment, wherein at least one of the radiation controls is based on a mapping from a continuous computational space;

convert the generated set of radiation controls to a set of treatment delivery parameters, the set of treatment delivery parameters corresponding to capabilities of a radiotherapy treatment machine, and

produce treatment plan data for the radiotherapy treatment based on the set of treatment delivery parameters.

24 . A computing system for radiotherapy treatment planning, the computing system comprising:

one or more memory devices to store data for a radiotherapy treatment of a human subject; and

one or more processors configured to perform operations to:

generate a set of radiation controls from the data for the radiotherapy treatment, wherein at least one of the radiation controls is based on a mapping from a continuous computational space;

convert the generated set of radiation controls to a set of treatment delivery parameters, the set of treatment delivery parameters corresponding to capabilities of a radiotherapy treatment machine; and

produce treatment plan data for the radiotherapy treatment based on the set of treatment delivery parameters.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 27, 2024
From: SJOLUND, JENS OLOF; NORDSTRÖM, CARL AXEL HÅKAN
To: ELEKTA AB (PUBL)
Reel/Frame 066912/0729 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240408410A1 · Dec 12, 2024
References Cited (17)
US 8654923B2 · Luan et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 8835877B2 · Luan et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 10744343B2 · Sjölund et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20100183121A1 · Riker et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20110122997A1 · Lu et al. · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20130197878A1 · Fiege et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20150367145A1 · Sjolund et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20180326222A1 · Otto · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2023072364A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
“International Application Serial No. PCT/EP2021/079551, International Search Report mailed Jun. 27, 2022”, 5 pgs. [cited by applicant]
“International Application Serial No. PCT/EP2021/079551, Written Opinion mailed Jun. 27, 2022”, 5 pgs. [cited by applicant]
Ghobadi, Kimia, “Optimization methods for patient positioning in Leksell Gamma Knife R PerfexionTM”, A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of M… [cited by applicant]
Langhans, Marco, et al., “Optimizing highly noncoplanar VMAT trajectories: the NoVo method”, Zurich Open Repository and Archive, (2018), 17 pages. [cited by applicant]
Sjölund, J., et al., “A linear programming approach to inverse planning in Gamma Knife radiosurgery”, Med. Phys. 46 (4), (Mar. 8, 2019), 12 pages. [cited by applicant]
Vandewouw, Marlee M., et al., “Robotic path-finding in inverse treatment planning for stereotactic radiosurgery with continuous dose delivery”, Medical Physics 43, 4545 (2016); doi: 10.1118/1.4955177, (Aug. 2016), 14 pa… [cited by applicant]
“International Application Serial No. PCT EP2021 079551, International Preliminary Report on Patentability mailed May 10, 2024”, 7 pgs. [cited by applicant]
“European Application Serial No. 21801070.0, Response to Communication Pursuant to Rules 161 and 162 EPC filed Dec. 6, 2024”, 18 pgs. [cited by applicant]