JP2020054698A - Radiotherapy system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a radiotherapy system that can intuitively operate a rotary gantry to rotate.SOLUTION: A radiotherapy system 10 includes: an irradiation port 35 for irradiating a patient 11 with a treatment beam 19; a support body (rotary gantry 15) for supporting the irradiation port 35 so as to be pivotally rotatable; and a switch 31, 32 provided to a member that rotates with the pivotal rotation, and putting out a signal for pivotally rotating the member on the basis of operator's operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a radiation therapy system including a rotating gantry.

  2. Description of the Related Art Radiation therapy for performing treatment by irradiating a treatment beam such as protons, carbon ions, and gamma rays to an affected part (cancer) of a patient is widely practiced. As one of such radiation treatments, there is a treatment technique of positioning a patient lying on a treatment table and irradiating a treatment beam using a large rotating mechanism (hereinafter, referred to as a rotating gantry).

  An irradiation port for irradiating a treatment beam is fixed to the rotating gantry. By rotating the irradiation port about the rotation axis of the rotating gantry, the treatment beam can be irradiated to the affected part of the patient from any direction without tilting the treatment table. Therefore, by irradiating the treatment beam from multiple directions while finely adjusting the angle, even in cases where the tumor is surrounded by important organs, it is possible to avoid exposure of important organs such as the spinal cord and nerves to the tumor. It is possible to concentrate the dose. For this reason, not only is the therapeutic effect on the tumor improved, but it is also expected that the burden on the patient during the treatment will be reduced, and the disorder and side effects after the treatment will be further reduced.

  In a radiotherapy system, before irradiating a patient with a treatment beam, a rotation gantry is rotated to a position determined by a treatment plan to position an irradiation port. The positioning operation of the irradiation port is automatically performed based on the set position information or remotely controlled in an operation room remote from the treatment room.

JP 2016-214273 A Japanese Patent No. 3608194

  On the other hand, when there is concern about interference between a stationary object such as a treatment table and a rotating irradiation port, the irradiation port and the rotating gantry may be rotated by manual operation from a position close to the irradiation port. In such a case, the irradiation port and the rotating gantry are rotated by manually operating the operation pendant connected to the cable suspended from the stationary system or the operation panel fixed to the wall of the stationary system.

  However, when rotating the irradiation port and rotating gantry, which are large structures, operating the operation pendant, which has multiple buttons and is arranged in a stationary system, at hand, does not result in an operation that is less intuitive. I can't. In addition, it is undeniable that the operator's attention is concentrated at hand, and the attention directed to the treatment table (patient) or the irradiation port may be distracted. For this reason, when rotating the irradiation port and the rotating gantry using the operation pendant or the operation panel, the operator always has anxiety of causing an unexpected operation error.

  An embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a radiation therapy system that can intuitively rotate an irradiation port and a rotating gantry.

  In the radiation therapy system according to the embodiment, an irradiation port for irradiating a patient with a treatment beam, a support for supporting the irradiation port in an axially rotatable manner, and a member that rotates with the axis of rotation, are provided on an operator's operation. A switch for transmitting a signal for rotating the shaft based on the rotation of the shaft.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, a radiation treatment system capable of intuitively rotating an irradiation port and a rotating gantry is provided.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of a radiotherapy system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the radiotherapy system according to the first embodiment. (A) (B) Explanatory drawing of the manual operation | movement of the rotating gantry manually in the radiotherapy system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) (B) Explanatory drawing of the manual operation | movement of the rotating gantry manually in the radiotherapy system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the radiotherapy system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a rotation mode setting unit. (A) (B) Explanatory drawing of the example of arrangement | positioning of the switch in the irradiation port of the radiotherapy system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) (B) Explanatory drawing of the example of arrangement | positioning of the switch in the irradiation port of the radiotherapy system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The longitudinal section of the radiotherapy system concerning a 2nd embodiment.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a radiation therapy system 10 according to the embodiment irradiates a treatment beam 19 to a patient 11, an irradiation port 18, and the irradiation port 18 is fixed to a torso and is axially rotated (in FIG. 1, rotated around the Z axis). A first signal A, which is provided on a rotating gantry 15 (support) and a member (irradiation port 18 shown in the figure) that rotates with the rotation of the shaft of the rotation gantry 15 and causes the rotation of the shaft in a positive direction based on an operator's operation. A first switch 31 (see FIG. 3) for transmitting a signal, and a second member provided on a member (irradiation port 18 in the drawing) which rotates with the rotation of the shaft of the rotating gantry 15 to generate the shaft rotation in the reverse direction based on an operator operation. A second switch 32 (see FIG. 3) for transmitting the signal B. Here, the treatment beam 19 is a particle radiation flowing with high kinetic energy such as a proton beam or a heavy particle beam, and a high energy electromagnetic radiation such as a gamma ray or an X-ray. Hereinafter, an example in which the treatment beam 19 is a particle radiation will be described.

  Further, the radiation therapy system 10 further includes a third switch 33 that transmits a third signal C that causes shaft rotation when transmitted simultaneously with the first signal A or the second signal B, based on an operator operation. . Further, the radiation treatment system 10 is provided with a display panel 35 for displaying rotation angle information of the rotating gantry 15 or the irradiation port 18.

The overall outline of the radiotherapy system will be described based on FIG.
The rotating gantry 15 is a large-sized structure generally having a cylindrical shape, and is rotated around a rotation axis (Z-axis) by the rotation driving of a plurality of rotation driving units 23 circumscribing the outer peripheral surfaces of both edges. The weight of the rotating gantry 15 is supported by a foundation 21 (stationary system) via a rotation drive unit 23. The rotating gantry 15 rotates with the bed 24 fixed to the stationary system disposed inside and the irradiation port 18 fixed to the body.

  In addition to the irradiation port 18, the rotating gantry 15 is provided with a beam transport duct 27, a beam bending electromagnet 28, and many other control devices and structures. The treatment beam 19 is generated by accelerating ions (heavy particles or proton ions) generated by an ion source (not shown) with a linear accelerator, and further, incident on a circular accelerator (not shown) to increase the energy to a set value.

  Then, the treatment beam 19 output from the circular accelerator enters from an extension of the rotation axis Z of a beam transport system (not shown) provided to rotate integrally with the rotating gantry 15. The irradiation port 18 is inserted toward the inside of the rotating gantry 15 and rotates around the bed 24 by ± 180 degrees together with the rotating gantry 15. The trajectory of the treatment beam 19 thus incident on the beam transport system is bent by the bending electromagnet 28, and is irradiated from the irradiation port 18 to the patient lying on the bed 24 from any direction of 360 degrees. Note that the rotation angles of the irradiation port 18 and the rotating gantry 15 are not limited to ± 180 degrees, and may be, for example, those that partially rotate from 0 degrees to 180 degrees (half type). Further, the rotating gantry 15 may have a frame structure such as a truss shape instead of the cylindrical shape.

  The bed 24 has a base fixed to the foundation (stationary system) 21 on the building side, moves inside the rotating gantry 15, and positions the affected part of the patient at the irradiation position of the treatment beam 19. When the treatment beam 19 is irradiated toward the affected part, it loses kinetic energy as it passes through the patient's body, causing the velocity to decrease. In addition, when the treatment beam 19 undergoes a resistance almost inversely proportional to the square of the velocity, the velocity decreases to a certain velocity. Stop suddenly. Then, near the stop point of the treatment beam 19, high energy called Bragg peak is emitted. Since the bed 24 is positioned so that the emission position of the Bragg peak coincides with the affected part, a treatment is performed in which only the affected part is killed and the normal tissue is less obstructed.

Returning to FIG. 1, the outline of the radiotherapy system will be described continuously.
The moving floor 12 can be rotated in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating gantry 15 by passing the irradiation port 18 through an opening provided in a part of the moving floor 12. A first rail 13A (see FIG. 3) and a second rail 13B which have a closed orbit formed by an arc and a straight line and do not rotate with respect to the foundation (stationary system) 21 are provided at both ends of the movable floor 12 formed in an annular shape. Slidably engaged.

  Thereby, the movable floor 12 forms an internal space having a flat horizontal shape and a tunnel shape surrounded by an arch, and can rotate around the rotation axis Z while maintaining the tunnel shape. Although not shown, a driving device for rotating the movable floor 12 around the rotation axis Z is provided for the first rail 13A and the second rail 13B. As the driving device, a rack and pinion mechanism can be specifically used.

  In this case, a motor for rotating a small-diameter circular gear called a pinion is provided on a plate member constituting the movable floor 12. Then, a toothed rack is provided on at least one of the first rail 13A and the second rail 13B. When the rack and the pinion are combined and a rotational force is applied to the pinion, it is converted into a linear force in the longitudinal direction of the rack, and the movable floor 12 moves along the closed track of the rail 13. The drive device is not limited to the rack-and-pinion mechanism, and any drive device can be used as long as it can move the movable floor 12 with respect to the closed track of the rail 13.

  The rotation control unit 40 of the rotating gantry 15 includes a first signal receiving unit 41 that receives a first signal A transmitted from the first switch 31 and a second signal receiving unit 41 that receives a second signal B transmitted from the second switch 32. It includes a signal receiving unit 42, a third signal receiving unit 43 that receives the third signal C transmitted from the third switch 33, and a rotation signal generating unit 44.

  The rotation signal generating unit 44 outputs a rotation signal CW for rotating the rotating gantry 15 in the forward direction to the rotation driving unit 23 during the period when the first signal A and the third signal C are simultaneously received. Further, the rotation signal generating unit 44 outputs a rotation signal CCW for rotating the rotating gantry 15 in the reverse direction to the rotation driving unit 23 during the period when the second signal B and the third signal C are simultaneously received.

  Further, the rotation control unit 40 includes a rotation signal receiving unit 45 that receives an output signal R of a rotation sensor 36 that detects a rotation angle or a rotation amount of the rotation gantry 15, and a rotation gantry 15 or an irradiation port 18 based on the output signal R. And a rotation angle transmitting unit 46 for transmitting the rotation angle information D of the first position. Here, the rotation sensor 36 is illustrated as being disposed on the foundation 21 (stationary system), but may be incorporated in the rotation drive unit 23 in some cases. The rotation sensor 36 may be provided in the rotating gantry 15 (rotating system). In this case, the rotation signal receiving unit 45 and the rotation angle transmitting unit 46 may be provided in the rotating gantry 15 (rotating system).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 are provided on the outer cover 14 of the irradiation port 18. The first switch 31 rotates the rotating gantry 15 in a forward direction (clockwise in the drawing) by an operator's touch operation. The second switch 32 rotates the rotating gantry 15 in a reverse direction (counterclockwise in the drawing) by an operator's touch operation.

  The first switch 31 and the second switch 32 are set so that the normal direction 17 (17a, 17b) of the touch surface substantially matches the tangential direction of the rotation trajectory of the irradiation port 18 and the touch directions are opposite to each other. , The exterior cover 14. Further, the first signal A and the second signal B are changed by depending on the touch stress of the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 or by providing a fourth switch (not shown), and the rotation signal CW is accordingly changed. The rotation speed of the rotating gantry 15 can be changed by changing the rotation signal CCW.

  FIGS. 7A and 7B and FIGS. 8A and 8B show examples of switch arrangement. When the irradiation port 18 and the exterior cover 14 are convex downward as shown in FIG. 7A, the first switch 31a is on the left and the first switch 31a is on the right when the irradiation port 18 is viewed from a stationary system to which the bed 24 is fixed. It is preferable to dispose two switches 32a. Further, when the first switch 31a and the second switch 32a are arranged on the front and side surfaces along the corner of the irradiation port 18, the operator can easily and intuitively touch the switch. This is true even when the side surface of the outer cover 14 is substantially vertical.

  When the irradiation port 18 and the exterior cover 14 are upwardly convex as shown in FIG. 7B, the second switch 32b is on the left side and the second switch 32b is on the right side when viewing the irradiation port 18 from a stationary system to which the bed 24 is fixed. It is preferable to arrange one switch 31b. Thereby, especially when the inclination angle of the exterior cover 14 is smaller than 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane, the operator can easily intuitively touch.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the first switch 32c may be disposed on the left side of the front surface of the exterior cover 14 and the second switch 31c may be disposed on the right side when viewing the irradiation port 18 from the stationary system to which the bed 24 is fixed. . When the outer cover 14 has a complicated shape (normal line) as shown in FIG. 8B, the first switch 31d and the second switch 32d are arranged on the same side surface (the left side in the figure) according to the location. You may. At this time, if the normal direction of the touch surface is arranged so as to substantially coincide with the tangential direction of the rotation trajectory of the irradiation port 18, the operator can easily and intuitively touch.

  The installation positions of the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 are not particularly limited to the outer cover 14, and the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 are provided on any member that rotates with the rotation of the rotating gantry 15. It is possible to intuitively rotate the gantry 15. As the arbitrary member that rotates, for example, a member fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the moving floor 12, the rotating gantry 15, a member fixed to the irradiation port 18 other than the outer cover 14, and the like can be cited.

  As the first switch 31 and the second switch 32, a touch sensor employing an electrostatic method or a resistive film method can be employed. Also, a plurality of touch sensor elements can be connected side by side to function as an integral unit. Alternatively, it may be formed in a panel shape having a predetermined stroke so as to obtain a pressing feeling. The third switch 33 (FIG. 1) serves as a deadman switch for preventing the gantry 15 from erroneously rotating when the operator operates the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 unintentionally. The third switch 33 is, as shown in FIG. 1, a foot operation switch that provides a feeling of being pressed, and is arranged near the moving floor 12 in a stationary system where the scaffold is stable.

  The form of the third switch 33 is not limited to the form shown in the figure, and may be a hand operation switch, a beam sensor such as a laser or an infrared ray, or may be arranged in a rotating system. Note that it is possible to eliminate the third switch 33 and generate a rotation signal, but installation is required from the viewpoint of safety.

  The display panel 35 is disposed on the front surface of the outer cover 14 of the irradiation port 18 when viewed from a stationary system to which the bed 24 is fixed. The display panel 35 displays status information of the rotating gantry 15, that is, a rotation mode, a current rotation angle (rotation angle information D), a set rotation angle, ON / OFF of a third switch, and a display indicating rotation. indicate. The display panel 35 can also input setting information such as a rotation angle. The functions of the first switch 31, the second switch 32, and the third switch 33 can be assigned to the button switches displayed on the display panel 35.

  The basic operation of the rotating gantry 15 manually will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4A, 4B. When the operator touches the exterior cover 14 (the first switch 31 in the figure) of the irradiation port 18 while the third switch 33 (FIG. 1) on the floor is stepped on, the operator rotates in a predetermined direction. Then, when the hand is released from the exterior cover 14 of the irradiation port 18 or the foot is released from the third switch 33 on the floor, the rotation of the rotating gantry 15 is stopped.

  Note that one of the following rotation modes is set in the rotating gantry 15. (1) Remote (remote operation) mode in which an operation command is issued from a console or the like outside the treatment room, (2) Local / command value mode in which a specified angle is set and stopped when rotated to that point, (3) Touch Local jog mode that rotates continuously during the period. The rotation mode is set by the rotation mode setting unit 50 (FIG. 6).

  FIG. 5 is a top view of the radiotherapy system according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a rotation mode setting unit. The default is to operate in remote mode and switch to local mode when operating in the treatment room. The open / close signal receiver 54 receives the open / close signal E from the open / close sensor 52 installed on the treatment room door 51. The mode setting unit 55 sets the mode setting signal G based on the opening / closing signal E received by the opening / closing signal receiving unit 54 such that the mode setting signal G is set to the remote mode while the door is closed and to the local / command value mode when the door is opened. Send to

  In this way, the mode switching is linked with the treatment room door, and the operator can immediately perform the rotation operation without performing any extra setting work. Further, the switching signal receiving unit 53 receives the switching signal F from the display panel 35, and the mode setting unit 55 transmits a mode setting signal G based on the switching signal F to the higher system. Thus, in the treatment room, the local / command value mode and the local jog mode can be easily changed on the display panel 35.

  For the initial value of the designated angle in the local / command value mode, the set value transmitted from the host system in the remote mode is applied. Such an initial value is a value determined in a treatment plan for each patient, such as an irradiation angle of 30 °. The set value of the designated angle can be changed on the display panel 35 or returned to the initial value at any time by a reset button.

  After the operation in the treatment room is completed, the angle may be set and rotated in a remote mode from outside the treatment room. For example, the irradiation port 18 can be shifted to an appropriate position by the local jog mode only during the positioning of the patient 11, and can be adjusted to the initial irradiation angle in the remote mode after finishing the positioning and leaving the treatment room.

  In such a case, reciprocal movement with the operation panel 16 or the like is unnecessary, and the risk of collision is reduced by intuitive operation, so that the operation can be completed in a short time and the treatment efficiency is significantly increased. By setting the remote mode, the irradiation port 18 can be automatically rotated to the irradiation angle of the second treatment beam after the first irradiation of the treatment beam at the irradiation angle of the initial value.

  Note that the following function may be added to enhance the operability of the manual operation of the rotating gantry 15. A light emitting LED is added to the outer cover 14 of the irradiation port 18 so that the rotating gantry 15 is in operation (rotating). The light emitting LED may have different lighting colors depending on the rotation mode. In addition, it may be made to blink several times when the rotation is stopped.

  In addition, an angle comparison unit that compares the current angle with the specified angle is provided. In the local / command value mode, when the touch (operation) is performed in the opposite direction to the specified angle, the image is displayed without rotating based on the judgment of the angle comparison unit. It is also possible to set a function to call attention by display on the panel 35, lighting of the issue LED, or sound.

  The first switch 31 and the second switch 32 may generate the following signals in addition to the first signal A and the second signal B. When the touch is performed twice or more within a predetermined time, a switching signal for switching between the local / command value mode and the local jog mode may be generated. When the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 are used as touch sensors and the touch position is slid on the sensor by a predetermined distance while touching, the specified angle in the local / command value mode is seamlessly adjusted according to the slide distance. May be generated. Alternatively, one switch may also serve the functions of the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 and generate the first signal A or the second signal B according to the sliding direction.

  The display panel 35 may have a role of setting the operation of the treatment table, setting the operation of the X-ray imaging device, setting ON / OFF of the indoor lighting, and the like, in addition to the setting of the operation of the rotating gantry 15. Further, in the step of operating the rotating gantry 15 in the remote mode, the first switch 31, the second switch 32, and the display panel 35 may serve as a safety sensor. That is, when an object comes into contact with the rotating gantry 15 during the operation in the remote mode, the rotating operation is urgently stopped to prevent an accident.

  Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Portions that overlap with the first embodiment are omitted. As shown in FIG. 9, the radiation therapy system 10 according to the embodiment does not include the rotating gantry 15 (FIG. 1). An irradiation port 18 for irradiating the patient 11 with the treatment beam 19 is supported by a support frame 56 (support) via a roller or the like, and the irradiation port 18 is axially rotated along the support frame 56 by a port driving unit 57. Can move from horizontal position to vertical position.

  The support frame 56, a beam transport system duct (not shown), a beam bending electromagnet (not shown), and other control devices and structures are all fixed to the stationary system 21. The beam transport system (not shown) is provided at each of the horizontal position and the vertical position, and can irradiate the patient 11 with the treatment beam 19 when the irradiation port 18 comes to that position.

  The rotation signal generation unit 44 (see FIG. 1) generates a rotation signal CW for rotating the irradiation port 18 in the forward direction (from the vertical position to the horizontal position) during the period when the first signal A and the third signal C are simultaneously received. Output to the port driver 57. Further, the rotation signal generator 44 converts the rotation signal CCW for rotating the irradiation port 18 in the reverse direction (from the horizontal position to the vertical position) during the period when the second signal B and the third signal C are simultaneously received, by the port driver 57. Output to

  The first switch 31 and the second switch 32 are set so that the normal direction 17 (17a, 17b) of the touch surface substantially matches the tangential direction of the rotation trajectory of the irradiation port 18 and the touch directions are opposite to each other. , The exterior cover 14. Further, the first signal A and the second signal B are changed by depending on the touch stress of the first switch 31 and the second switch 32 or by providing a fourth switch (not shown), and the rotation signal CW is accordingly changed. The rotation speed of the irradiation port 18 can be changed by changing the rotation signal CCW.

  According to the radiation treatment system of at least one embodiment described above, the irradiation port and the rotating gantry are provided with a switch for manually operating the axis rotation of the irradiation port and the rotating gantry. It is possible to intuitively perform the rotation operation.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Radiation treatment system, 11 ... Patient, 12 ... Moving floor, 13 ... Rail, 13A ... 1st rail, 13B ... 2nd rail, 14 ... Exterior cover, 15 ... Rotating gantry (support), 16 ... Operation panel, 17 (17a, 17b): Normal direction, 18: Irradiation port, 19: Treatment beam, 21: Foundation, 23: Rotating drive unit, 24: Bed, 27: Beam transport duct, 28: Bending electromagnet, 30: Irradiation Angle, 31 first switch, 32 second switch, 33 third switch, 35 display panel, 36 rotation sensor, 40 rotation control unit, 41 first signal reception unit, 42 second signal reception Unit, 43: third signal receiving unit, 44: rotation signal generating unit, 45: rotation signal receiving unit, 46: rotation angle transmitting unit, 50: rotation mode setting unit, 51: treatment room door, 52: open / close sensor, 53 … Reception of switching signal Parts, 54 ... switching signal receiving unit, 55 ... mode setting unit, 56 ... support frame (support) 57 ... port driver.

Claims (9)

An irradiation port for irradiating the patient with a treatment beam;
A support for supporting the irradiation port rotatably,
A switch that is provided on a member that rotates with the shaft rotation and that transmits a signal for rotating the shaft based on an operator operation;
A radiation therapy system comprising: The radiotherapy system according to claim 1,
A radiation therapy system, wherein the support is a rotating gantry. In the radiotherapy system according to claim 1 or claim 2,
The radiation treatment system, wherein the switch is provided on an exterior cover of the irradiation port. The radiotherapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The radiation treatment system, wherein the switch is a touch sensor. In the radiotherapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A radiation therapy system wherein a normal direction of a touch surface of the switch substantially coincides with a tangent direction of a rotation trajectory of the irradiation port. The radiotherapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The radiation therapy system further comprising a display panel for displaying rotation angle information of the irradiation port. The radiotherapy system according to claim 6,
A radiation therapy system, wherein the functions of the switches are assigned to button switches displayed on the display panel. The radiotherapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A first switch for transmitting a first signal for rotating the shaft in a forward direction, a second switch for transmitting a second signal for rotating the shaft in a reverse direction,
Radiation therapy system consisting of: The radiotherapy system according to claim 8,
A third switch that transmits a third signal that causes the shaft rotation when transmitted simultaneously with the first signal or the second signal based on an operator operation,
Radiation therapy system further equipped.

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