JP6591318B2 - Neutron capture therapy system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a neutron capture therapy system.

  Patent Document 1 describes a neutron capture therapy system that performs cancer treatment by neutron beam irradiation. In this neutron capture therapy system, treatment is performed by irradiating an irradiated body to which a drug is administered with neutron rays. In the treatment using such a neutron capture therapy system, it has been required to grasp the blood drug concentration of the irradiated object before neutron irradiation.

International Publication No. 2012/014671

  Here, as a method for measuring the blood drug concentration of the irradiated body, there is a method of collecting blood from the irradiated body and performing spectroscopic analysis using ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma). There is a problem that the work is complicated and time-consuming. Another example is a method of calculating a blood drug concentration by placing a sample on a treatment table, irradiating the sample with a neutron beam, and measuring gamma rays generated by the reaction between the neutron beam and the drug. However, such a method causes a problem that the operating efficiency of the system is lowered because the treatment table is occupied for measurement.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the neutron capture therapy system which can grasp | ascertain the blood drug density | concentration of a to-be-irradiated body easily, without reducing the operating efficiency of a system.

  A neutron capture therapy system according to the present invention is a neutron capture therapy system that irradiates an irradiated body with a neutron beam to an irradiated body, and includes an accelerating unit that accelerates charged particles, and a neutron beam by irradiation with the charged particle beam. A neutron beam irradiation unit that emits a part of the neutron beam to the first room side as a first neutron beam, a treatment table provided in the first room on which the irradiated object is placed, and a neutron A neutron beam transport unit that transports a part of the neutron beam generated in the beam irradiation unit to a second chamber different from the first chamber as a second neutron beam, and a sample disposed in the second chamber And a gamma ray measurement unit that is provided in the second room and measures gamma rays emitted by the reaction between the second neutron beam and the sample.

  In this neutron capture therapy system, the irradiated body is treated by irradiating the irradiated body with the neutron beam generated in the neutron beam irradiation section as the first neutron beam. Further, a part of the neutron beam irradiated from the neutron beam irradiation unit is transported to the second room as the second neutron beam by the neutron beam transport unit. And the 2nd neutron beam is irradiated to the sample of the sample arrangement | positioning part provided in the 2nd chamber. The gamma ray measurement unit measures the gamma rays emitted from the sample, thereby calculating the drug concentration in the sample. Based on the result, the blood drug concentration of the irradiated object can be easily grasped. Further, in order to irradiate the sample with the second neutron beam that is a part of the neutron beam irradiated from the neutron beam irradiation unit, the treatment is performed on the irradiated object, and at the same time in the sample related to the other irradiated object. The drug concentration can be measured. Therefore, treatment can be performed more efficiently. As described above, the blood drug concentration of the irradiated object can be easily grasped without lowering the operation efficiency of the system.

  In the neutron capture therapy system, the neutron beam irradiation unit may include a deceleration unit that reduces the energy of the neutron beam, and one end of the neutron beam transport unit may be connected to the inside of the deceleration unit. The inside of the decelerating unit is a part where a sufficient amount of neutron rays can be obtained for measuring the drug concentration of the sample. Therefore, one end of the neutron beam transport unit is connected to the inside of the speed reduction unit, so that the second neutron beam can be transported to the second room with a simple configuration.

  A neutron capture therapy system according to the present invention is a neutron capture therapy system for irradiating an irradiated body to which a drug is administered, an neutron capture therapy system for accelerating charged particles, connected to the acceleration unit, and charged particle beam A neutron beam is generated by irradiation of a charged particle beam transported from the first charged particle beam transport unit and the first charged particle beam transport unit, and a part of the neutron beam is moved to the first room side. A charged particle beam from a first neutron beam irradiation unit that irradiates as one neutron beam, a treatment table provided in the first room on which an irradiated object is placed, and a first charged particle beam transport unit; A neutron beam is generated by irradiating a second charged particle beam transport unit to be branched and a charged particle beam transported from the second charged particle beam transport unit, and a part of the neutron beam is transferred to the second room side. A second neutron beam irradiation unit for irradiation as a neutron beam and a second room Is provided with a sample placement section which a sample is disposed, is provided in the second room, the gamma ray measuring unit for measuring the gamma rays emitted by a reaction between the second neutron and the sample, the.

  In this neutron capture therapy system, the irradiated body is treated by irradiating the irradiated body with the neutron beam generated in the first neutron beam irradiation section as the first neutron beam. The second charged particle beam transport unit branches the charged particle beam from the first charged particle beam transport unit and transports it to the second neutron beam irradiation unit. Part of the neutron beam generated in the second neutron beam irradiation unit by irradiation with the charged particle beam transported from the second charged particle beam transport unit is irradiated to the second room as the second neutron beam. And the 2nd neutron beam is irradiated to the sample of the sample arrangement | positioning part provided in the 2nd chamber. The gamma ray measurement unit measures the gamma rays emitted from the sample, thereby calculating the drug concentration in the sample. Based on the result, the blood drug concentration of the irradiated object can be easily grasped. In addition, the sample can be measured in a second room different from the first room in which the treatment table is provided. Accordingly, the treatment for the irradiated object is performed in the first room, and at the same time, the preparation for measuring the sample related to the other irradiated object can be performed in the second room. Therefore, treatment can be performed more efficiently. As described above, the blood drug concentration of the irradiated object can be easily grasped without lowering the operation efficiency of the system.

  In this neutron capture therapy system, the first neutron beam irradiation unit includes a speed reduction unit that reduces the energy of the neutron beam, and an output port of the first neutron beam is provided between the speed reduction unit and the first room. The second neutron beam may be irradiated to the sample in the second room without going through the deceleration unit, and the gamma ray may be measured by the gamma ray measuring unit without going through the collimator. Thereby, the chemical | medical agent density | concentration in a sample can be measured with a simpler structure.

  The neutron capture therapy system further includes an energy reduction unit that is provided on the path of the second charged particle beam transport unit and reduces the energy of the charged particle beam that passes through the second charged particle beam transport unit. The neutron beam irradiation unit may have a target made of lithium that generates thermal neutrons by irradiation with a charged particle beam whose energy has been reduced by the energy reduction unit. Thereby, the 1st neutron beam irradiation part which irradiates a to-be-irradiated body with a neutron beam (mainly epithermal neutron), the 2nd neutron beam irradiation part which irradiates a small animal with a neutron beam (mainly thermal neutron), Can be added.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the neutron capture therapy system which can grasp | ascertain the blood drug density | concentration of a to-be-irradiated body easily can be provided, without reducing the operating efficiency of a system.

It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the neutron capture therapy system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the vicinity of the neutron beam irradiation part of the neutron capture therapy system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is an enlarged view of the A section of FIG. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the 2nd room of the neutron capture therapy system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the neutron capture therapy system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the vicinity of the 3rd neutron beam irradiation part in the case of measuring the drug concentration in the body of a small animal with the neutron capture therapy system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(First embodiment)
A neutron capture therapy system according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a neutron capture therapy system 100 according to the first embodiment. The neutron capture therapy system 100 is a device that performs cancer treatment using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Neutron capture therapy performs cancer treatment by irradiating an irradiated body S (patient) to which a drug (boron) is administered with a neutron beam. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the vicinity of the neutron beam irradiation unit of the neutron capture therapy system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the neutron capture therapy system 100 irradiates the irradiated body S with the first neutron beam N1 and the neutron beam generator 10 for generating and irradiating the neutron beam N for treatment. The first chambers 30A and 30B for performing the preparation, the preparation chambers 50A and 50B for preparing the irradiation, and the second chamber 60 for measuring the drug concentration in the sample 61 (blood) are provided. .

  The neutron beam generation unit 10 generates a neutron beam N, irradiates a part of the neutron beam N as the first neutron beam N1 into the chambers of the first chambers 30A and 30B, and applies the first neutron to the irradiated object S. The line N1 can be irradiated. The irradiated object S corresponds to a patient. The neutron beam generating unit 10 includes an accelerating unit 11 (for example, a cyclotron) that accelerates charged particles, a neutron beam irradiating unit 12A and a neutron beam irradiating unit 12B that generate a neutron beam N by irradiation with a charged particle beam P, and charged particles. A charged particle beam transport unit 13 that transports the rays P to the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A or the neutron beam irradiation unit 12B. The acceleration unit 11 and the charged particle beam transport unit 13 are disposed in a Y-shaped charged particle beam generation chamber 10a. The charged particle beam generation chamber 10a is a closed space covered with a concrete shielding wall W.

  The acceleration unit 11 accelerates charged particles (for example, protons), creates charged particle beams P (for example, proton beams), and emits them. The acceleration unit 11 has, for example, the ability to generate a charged particle beam P with a beam radius of 40 mm and 60 kW (= 30 MeV × 2 mA).

  The charged particle beam transport unit 13 selectively emits the charged particle beam P to either the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A or the neutron beam irradiation unit 12B. The charged particle transport unit 13 transports the charged particle beam P to the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A, the first transport unit 14 connected to the acceleration unit 11, the beam direction switch 15 that switches the traveling direction of the charged particle beam P, and the charged particle beam P. 16A for transporting, and the 3rd transport part 16B for transporting the charged particle beam P to the neutron beam irradiation part 12B. The second transport unit 16A is connected to the beam direction switch 15 and the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A. The third transport unit 16B is connected to the beam direction switch 15 and the neutron beam irradiation unit 12B. That is, the charged particle beam transport unit 13 is branched into a second transport unit 16A and a third transport unit 16B in the beam direction switch 15.

  The beam direction switch 15 controls the traveling direction of the charged particle beam P using a switching electromagnet. The beam direction switch 15 can remove the charged particle beam P from the normal trajectory and guide it to a beam dump (not shown). The beam dump can confirm the output of the charged particle beam P before treatment or the like. The neutron capture therapy system 100 may have a configuration that does not include a beam dump. In this case, the beam direction switch 15 is not connected to the beam dump.

  Each of the first transport unit 14, the second transport unit 16 </ b> A, and the third transport unit 16 </ b> B includes a beam adjusting unit 17 for the charged particle beam P. The beam adjusting unit 17 is for horizontal and horizontal steering for adjusting the axis of the charged particle beam P, a quadrupole electromagnet for suppressing the divergence of the charged particle beam P, and for shaping the charged particle beam P. Including four-way slits. Each of the first transport unit 14, the second transport unit 16 </ b> A, and the third transport unit 16 </ b> B may be configured without the beam adjustment unit 17.

  The second transport unit 16A and the third transport unit 16B may include a current monitor as necessary. The current monitor measures the current value (that is, charge, irradiation dose rate) of the charged particle beam P irradiated to the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A and the neutron beam irradiation unit 12B in real time. Further, the second transport unit 16A and the third transport unit 16B may include a charged particle beam scanning unit 18 as necessary. The charged particle beam scanning unit 18 scans the charged particle beam P and performs irradiation control of the charged particle beam P to the target T described later. The charged particle beam scanning unit 18 controls the irradiation position of the charged particle beam P with respect to the target T, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing the vicinity of the neutron beam irradiation unit 12 </ b> A of the neutron capture therapy system 100. Here, the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A and the neutron beam irradiation unit 12B have the same configuration. Therefore, the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A will be described below, and the description of the neutron beam irradiation unit 12B will be omitted. The neutron beam irradiation unit 12A generates a neutron beam N by irradiation with the charged particle beam P, and irradiates a part of the neutron beam N as the first neutron beam N1 to the first room 30A side. As shown in FIG. 2, the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A includes a target T for generating the neutron beam N, a speed reduction unit 12a for decelerating the neutron beam N, and a shield 12b. In addition, the deceleration part 12a and the shielding body 12b comprise a moderator.

  The target T is irradiated with the charged particle beam P and generates a neutron beam N (mainly epithermal neutrons). The target T generates a neutron beam N toward the periphery when irradiated with the charged particle beam P. The amount of neutron beam N generated from the target T is maximum near the center of the target T, and decreases with distance from the target T. The target T is formed of, for example, beryllium (Be) and has a disk shape with a diameter of 160 mm.

  The speed reduction part 12a decelerates the neutron beam N emitted from the target T, and reduces the energy of the neutron beam N. The neutron beam N decelerated by the deceleration unit 12a and reduced to a predetermined energy is also called a therapeutic neutron beam. The speed reduction part 12a is made into the laminated structure which consists of a several different material, for example. The material of the deceleration part 12a is suitably selected according to various conditions such as the energy of the charged particle beam P. For example, when the output from the acceleration unit 11 is a proton beam of 30 MeV and a beryllium target is used as the target T, the material of the deceleration unit 12a can be lead, iron, aluminum, or calcium fluoride. When the output from the acceleration unit 11 is a proton beam of 11 MeV and a beryllium target is used as the target T, the material of the deceleration unit 12a can be heavy water (D2O) or lead fluoride. Moreover, when the output from the acceleration part 11 is a proton beam of 2.8 MeV and a lithium target is used as the target T, the material of the speed reduction part 12a is fluental (trade name; aluminum, aluminum fluoride, fluoride fluoride). A mixture of lithium). Moreover, when the output from the acceleration part 11 is a proton beam of 50 MeV and a tungsten target is used as the target T, the material of the speed reduction part 12a can be iron or fluenthal.

  The shield 12b shields the neutron beam N and radiation such as gamma rays generated by the generation of the neutron beam N from being emitted to the outside, and the charged particle beam generation chamber 10a and the first chamber 30A are shielded. At least a part of the wall W1 is embedded.

  The neutron beam N includes a fast neutron beam, an epithermal neutron beam, and a thermal neutron beam, and is accompanied by gamma rays. Of these, the thermal neutron beam mainly reacts with boron taken into the tumor in the body of the irradiated body S to exert an effective therapeutic effect. A part of the epithermal neutron beam included in the beam of neutron beam N also becomes a thermal neutron beam that is decelerated inside the irradiated body S and exhibits the above therapeutic effect. The thermal neutron beam is a neutron beam having an energy of 0.5 eV or less.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the neutron capture therapy system 100 includes a neutron beam transport unit 20.

  The neutron beam transport unit 20 transports a part of the neutron beam N generated by the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A to the second chamber 60 different from the first chamber 30A as the second neutron beam N2. The neutron beam transport unit 20 has, for example, a tubular shape in which a space 20a is formed, and one end thereof is connected to the inside of the speed reduction unit 12a. A through hole 12c for inserting the neutron beam transport part 20 is formed in the shield 12b. Further, a hole 12d communicating with the through hole 12c is formed in the speed reducing portion 12a. The neutron beam transport part 20 is inserted into the through hole 12c and the hole part 12d. As a result, one end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 is connected to the inside of the speed reduction unit 12a.

  As the neutron beam transport unit 20, for example, a neutron conduit that transports neutrons using a neutron mirror utilizing the property that neutrons are totally reflected on the surface of a material can be used. This neutron conduit has a reflecting surface that is a mirror surface in which a metal film having a large coherent scattering cross section with respect to neutrons such as nickel (Ni) and having a small absorption is formed on glass having a polished surface and high smoothness. To do. Further, as the neutron beam transport section 20, a super mirror conduit in which nickel and titanium (Ti) are alternately laminated on the above glass to form a Ni / Ti multilayer film can be used.

  When the target T is irradiated with the charged particle beam P, the target T generates a neutron beam N around the target T toward the periphery. The neutron beam N irradiated from the target T toward the deceleration unit 12a is decelerated by the deceleration unit 12a, and a part of the neutron beam N is irradiated as the first neutron beam N1 in the first room 30A through an opening 86a of a collimator 86 described later. The body S is irradiated. On the other hand, a part of the neutron beam N decelerated by the decelerating unit 12a is transported as a second neutron beam N2 to the second chamber 60 described later by the neutron beam transporting unit 20 and irradiated on the sample 61. The sample 61 corresponds to the blood of the irradiation object S.

  The necessary amount of the second neutron beam N2 irradiated to the sample 61 in the second chamber 60 described later is the amount of the first neutron beam N1 irradiated to the irradiated object S in the first chamber 30A. Smaller than For example, the amount of the second neutron beam N2 is about 1/1000 of the amount of the first neutron beam N1. Therefore, one end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 may be connected to the inside of the speed reduction unit 12a at a position away from the target T. Note that one end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 is preferably connected to a position that does not affect the amount of the first neutron beam N1 irradiated to the irradiated object S in the first room 30A. That is, it is preferable that one end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 is connected to a position other than the virtual connection line that connects the target T and the collimator 86 in the speed reduction unit 12a.

  As long as the neutron beam transport unit 20 can transport the neutron beam N, the material, shape, extension, and the like are not particularly limited. The cross-sectional shape of the neutron beam transport unit 20 may be circular or rectangular, and is not particularly limited. Moreover, in FIG. 3, although the neutron beam transport part 20 becomes a straight tube shape, it is not limited to this. For example, the neutron beam transport unit 20 may be formed from a member having a curvature. Moreover, the neutron beam transport part 20 may be formed by, for example, connecting two or more straight pipes or members having curvatures so as to cross each other.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first room 30A may be disposed on an extension line in the direction in which the second transport portion 16A extends. The first room 30B may be disposed on an extension line in the direction in which the third transport unit 16B extends. The neutron beam N can also be extracted in a direction intersecting with the direction in which the second transport part 16A or the third transport part 16B extends. In this case, the arrangement of the first chamber 30A is not limited to an extension line in the direction in which the second transport section 16A extends, and the first chamber 30A is positioned at a position corresponding to the direction in which the neutron beam N is extracted. Can be arranged. Similarly, the arrangement of the first room 30B is not limited to the extended line in the direction in which the third transport section 16B extends, and the first room 30B is arranged at a position corresponding to the extraction direction of the neutron beam N. can do. Here, the first room 30B has the same configuration as the first room 30A. Accordingly, the first room 30A will be described below, and the description of the first room 30B will be omitted.

  The first room 30A is a room in which the irradiated object S is disposed in the room in order to irradiate the irradiated object S with the first neutron beam N1. A treatment table 80 on which the irradiated object S is placed is provided in the first room 30A. As an example, the size of the first room 30A is 3.5 m wide × 5 m deep × 3 m high. The first room 30A includes a shielding space 30S surrounded by the shielding wall W2 and a door D1 for allowing the treatment table 80 to enter and exit. The door D1 can suppress radiation in the shielding space 30S from being emitted to the communication room 40A.

  A camera 32 is arranged in the first room 30A. The camera 32 is for observing the state of the irradiated object S in the first room 30A. The camera 32 is disposed at a position where the irradiated object S can be photographed in the first room 30A. The camera 32 does not need to acquire a high-accuracy image, and only needs to be able to acquire an image capable of confirming the state of the irradiated object S. As the camera 32, for example, a CCD camera can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a cover (wall body) 31 is provided between the first room 30A and the shield 12b. The cover 31 forms part of the side wall surface of the first chamber 30A. The cover 31 is provided with a collimator mounting portion 31a serving as an output port for the first neutron beam N1. The collimator mounting portion 31a is an opening for fitting a collimator 86 described later.

  The collimator 86 is provided on the collimator mounting portion 31a of the cover 31 between the speed reduction portion 12a and the first chamber 30A. In the present embodiment, a shield 12b is formed between the speed reducer 12a and the collimator 86. The collimator 86 is for regulating the irradiation range of the neutron beam N. The collimator 86 is provided with, for example, a circular opening 86a for defining an irradiation range.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the shielding wall W2 forms a shielding space 30S in which radiation is prevented from entering the room from the outside of the first room 30A and radiation is prevented from being emitted from the room to the outside. . That is, the shielding wall W2 blocks the radiation of the first neutron beam N1 from the inside of the first room 30A to the outside. The shielding wall W2 may be formed integrally with the shielding wall W that defines the charged particle beam generation chamber 10a. The shielding wall W2 may be a concrete wall having a thickness of 2 m or more. A wall W1 separating the charged particle beam generation chamber 10a and the first chamber 30A is provided between the charged particle beam generation chamber 10a and the first chamber 30A. This wall W1 forms a part of the shielding wall W.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement of the second room 60 of the neutron capture therapy system 100 according to the first embodiment. The second room 60 is a room for measuring the drug concentration in the sample 61. FIG. 4A is a view seen from above, and FIG. 4B is a view seen from the side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the second chamber 60, the sample 61 containing the drug, the sample placement unit 62 where the sample 61 containing the drug is placed, the second neutron beam N 2, and the drug in the sample 61 Are provided with a gamma ray measurement unit 63 that measures the gamma rays G emitted by the reaction, and a gamma ray measurement unit arrangement unit 64. Note that a drug containing boron can be used as the drug.

  The other end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 is connected to the second chamber 60. Thereby, the sample 61 in the second chamber 60 is irradiated with the second neutron beam N2 transported by the neutron beam transport unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the gamma ray measurement unit 63 is arranged toward the sample 61 in a direction intersecting with a connection line (virtual) between the neutron beam transport unit 20 and the sample 61. The other end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 is connected to one side wall of the second room 60, and transports the second neutron beam N <b> 2 to the second room 60. Then, the sample 61 containing the medicine is irradiated with the second neutron beam N2 transported to the second chamber 60. The drug contained in the sample 61 reacts with the second neutron beam N2 to emit gamma rays G. The gamma ray measurement unit 63 measures the amount of gamma rays G emitted from the sample 61. The amount of gamma rays G measured by the gamma ray measurement unit 63 is converted into the drug concentration in the sample 61.

  As described above, the amount of the second neutron beam N2 transported by the neutron beam transport unit 20 is small. For this reason, the speed reduction part 12a does not need to be arranged between the second chamber 60 and the neutron beam transport part 20. That is, the second neutron beam N2 may be applied to the sample 61 provided in the second chamber 60 without passing through the speed reduction unit 12a. In this case, the speed reduction part 12a does not emit gamma rays by irradiation with the second neutron beam N2. Therefore, the collimator 86 may not be disposed between the sample 61 and the gamma ray measurement unit 63 in order to prevent the gamma ray emitted from the deceleration unit 12a from being detected by the gamma ray measurement unit 63 as noise. That is, the gamma ray G emitted by the reaction between the second neutron beam N2 and the drug in the sample 61 may be measured by the gamma ray measurement unit 63 without using the collimator 86.

  The size of the second chamber 60 is such that the sample 61, the sample placement unit 62, the gamma ray measurement unit 63, and the gamma ray measurement unit placement unit 64 can be placed, and the sample 61 can be taken in freely. If there is no particular limitation. In addition, the second room 60 forms a shielding space in which radiation is prevented from entering the room from the outside of the second room 60 and the radiation being emitted from the room to the outside. It may be surrounded by The second room 60 is provided with a door (not shown) through which an administrator can enter and exit. Further, the arrangement location of the second room 60 is not particularly limited.

  The preparation rooms 50A and 50B are rooms for performing work necessary for irradiating the irradiation object S with the first neutron beam N1 in the first rooms 30A and 30B. In the preparation rooms 50A and 50B, for example, the irradiation object S is restricted to the treatment table 80, and the alignment between the collimator 86 and the irradiation object S is performed.

  Communication rooms 40A and 40B are provided between the preparation room 50A and the first room 30A and between the preparation room 50B and the first room 30B. The communication rooms 40A and 40B are rooms for moving the treatment table 80 that restrains the irradiated object S between the preparation rooms 50A and 50B and the first rooms 30A and 30B.

  Next, the flow of treatment using the neutron capture therapy system 100 will be described. First, the administrator makes preparations for the irradiated object S related to the previous stage of performing treatment by the neutron capture therapy system 100. Specifically, after a drug containing boron is administered to the irradiation object S, the blood of the irradiation object S is collected as the sample 61. Next, the collected sample 61 is taken into the second room 60 and placed in the sample placement unit 62. Next, the administrator operates a control device (not shown) to start irradiating the second room 60 with the second neutron beam N2. At this time, another irradiated object S is being treated in the first room 30A or 30B. The sample 61 containing the medicine is irradiated with the second neutron beam N2 and emits gamma rays G. The gamma ray measurement unit 63 measures the amount of gamma ray G, and calculates the drug concentration contained in the sample 61 based on this. Then, the calculated drug concentration in the sample 61 is displayed on a display unit (not shown) as numerical data, for example, and is confirmed by the administrator. Based on the drug concentration in the sample 61, the administrator inputs the irradiation time of the first neutron beam N <b> 1 that irradiates the irradiated object S to the control device. As an example, the irradiation time is about one hour.

  Subsequently, the irradiated object S and the operator are guided to the preparation room 50 </ b> A, and the irradiated object S is laid on the treatment table 80. And an operator restrains the body of the to-be-irradiated body S with respect to the treatment table 80 using a restraint tool. Next, alignment of the irradiated object S and the collimator 86 is performed. After the alignment of the irradiation object S and the collimator 86 is completed, the treatment table 80 is moved to the first room 30 </ b> A, and the collimator 86 is attached to the collimator attachment portion 31 a provided on the cover 31. The administrator operates the control device to start irradiation with the neutron beam N. When the irradiation time previously input to the control device has elapsed, the control device automatically stops the irradiation of the neutron beam N. Thus, the neutron capture therapy using the neutron capture therapy system 100 is completed.

  As described above, in the neutron capture therapy system 100, the irradiated object S is treated by irradiating the irradiated object S with the neutron beam N generated by the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A as the first neutron beam N1. A part of the neutron beam N irradiated from the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A is transported by the neutron beam transport unit 20 to the second room 60 as the second neutron beam N2. The second neutron beam N2 is irradiated to the sample 61 of the sample placement unit 62 provided in the second chamber 60. The gamma ray measurement unit 63 can calculate the drug concentration in the sample 61 by measuring the gamma ray G emitted from the sample 61. Based on the result, the blood drug concentration of the irradiation object S can be easily grasped. In addition, in order to irradiate the sample 61 with the second neutron beam N2 that is a part of the neutron beam N irradiated from the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A, the irradiated object S is treated and at the same time another irradiated object. The drug concentration in the sample 61 related to S can be measured. Therefore, treatment can be performed more efficiently. As described above, the blood drug concentration of the irradiated object can be easily grasped without lowering the operation efficiency of the system.

  In the neutron capture therapy system 100, the neutron beam irradiation unit 12A includes a speed reduction unit 12a that reduces the energy of the neutron beam, and one end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 is connected to the inside of the speed reduction unit 12a. Inside the deceleration part 12a, it is a site | part which can obtain a sufficient quantity of neutron rays for the measurement of the chemical | medical agent concentration of the sample 61. Therefore, one end of the neutron beam transport unit 20 is connected to the inside of the speed reduction unit 12a, so that the second neutron beam N2 can be transported to the second room 60 with a simple configuration.

(Second Embodiment)
A neutron capture therapy system according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a neutron capture therapy system 100A according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the neutron capture therapy system 100A has a second charged particle beam transport unit 19 and a neutron according to the first embodiment in that it further includes a second neutron beam irradiation unit 12C. Different from the capture therapy system 100. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the neutron capture therapy system 100, the overlapping description will be omitted below.

  The neutron beam generation unit 10 includes an acceleration unit 11 (for example, a cyclotron) that accelerates charged particles, first neutron beam irradiation units 12A and 12B that generate a neutron beam N by irradiation with a charged particle beam P, and second neutrons. 12C, a first charged particle beam transport unit 13 that transports the charged particle beam P to the first neutron beam irradiation unit 12A or 12B, and a charged particle beam P from the first charged particle beam transport unit 13. And a second charged particle beam transport unit 19 that branches and transports to the second neutron beam irradiation unit 12C. The acceleration unit 11, the first charged particle beam transport unit 13, and the second charged particle beam transport unit 19 are arranged in the charged particle beam generation chamber 10a. The second charged particle beam transport unit 19 has the same configuration as the first transport unit 14, the second transport unit 16A, or the third transport unit 16B.

  The second charged particle beam transport unit 19 is connected to the beam direction switch 15 and branches the charged particle beam P from the first charged particle beam transport unit 13. In addition, the 1st charged particle beam transport part 13 of this embodiment has the same structure as the charged particle beam transport part 13 of 1st Embodiment.

  12C of 2nd neutron beam irradiation parts generate | occur | produce the neutron beam N by irradiation of the charged particle beam P conveyed from the 2nd charged particle beam transport part 19, and contain the chemical | medical agent (boron) in the 2nd chamber 60 The sample 61 (blood) is irradiated with a part of the neutron beam N as the second neutron beam N2. The configuration of the second neutron beam irradiation unit 12C is the same as that of the first neutron beam irradiation units 12A and 12B, except that the speed reduction unit 12a and the shield 12b are not provided.

  The neutron capture therapy system 100A treats the irradiated object S by irradiating the irradiated object S with the neutron beam N generated by the first neutron beam irradiation unit 12A as the first neutron beam N1. The second charged particle beam transport unit 19 branches the charged particle beam P from the first charged particle beam transport unit 13 and transports it to the second neutron beam irradiation unit 12C. A part of the neutron beam N generated in the second neutron beam irradiation unit 12C by the irradiation of the charged particle beam P transported from the second charged particle beam transport unit 19 is a second neutron beam N2 in the second chamber. 60 is irradiated. The second neutron beam N2 is irradiated to the sample 61 of the sample placement unit 62 provided in the second chamber 60. The gamma ray measurement unit 63 can calculate the drug concentration in the sample 61 by measuring the gamma ray G emitted from the sample 61. Based on the result, the blood drug concentration of the irradiation object S can be easily grasped. In addition, the sample 61 can be measured in a second room 60 different from the first room 30A where the treatment table 80 is provided. Therefore, treatment is performed on the irradiated object S in the first room 30A, and at the same time, preparation for measuring the sample 61 related to the other irradiated object S is performed in the second room 60. be able to. Therefore, treatment can be performed more efficiently. As described above, the blood drug concentration of the irradiation object S can be easily grasped without lowering the operation efficiency of the system.

  In the neutron capture therapy system 100A, the first neutron beam irradiation unit 12A includes a deceleration unit 12a that reduces the energy of the neutron beam, and the first neutron beam is interposed between the deceleration unit 12a and the first chamber 30A. A collimator 86 serving as an output port of N1 is provided, the second neutron beam N2 is irradiated to the sample in the second chamber 60 without passing through the speed reduction unit 12a, and the gamma ray G is passed through the collimator 86 and the gamma ray measuring unit 63. Measured by Thereby, the chemical | medical agent density | concentration in a sample can be measured with a simpler structure.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the example in which the drug concentration in the sample 61 is measured in the second chamber 60 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to measure the drug concentration in the body of a small animal, and it can be used in various situations.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the second neutron beam irradiation unit 12C when measuring the drug concentration in the body of a small animal with the neutron capture therapy system 100A according to the second embodiment. When measuring the drug concentration in the body of the small animal K, it is more efficient to irradiate thermal neutrons rather than epithermal neutrons. Therefore, in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, thermal neutrons are irradiated to a small animal. As shown in FIG. 6, the neutron capture therapy system 100 </ b> A has an energy reduction that reduces the energy of the charged particle beam P passing through the second charged particle beam transport unit 19 on the path of the second charged particle beam transport unit 19. And a second neutron irradiation unit 12C having a target T made of lithium.

  The energy reduction unit 21 reduces the energy of the charged particle beam P passing through the second charged particle beam transport unit 19 and is formed of a known material such as graphite, for example. If the energy of the charged particle beam P emitted from the acceleration unit 11 has a desired low value, the energy reduction unit 21 may be omitted. By irradiating a target T made of lithium with a low energy charged particle beam P (for example, a 2 MeV proton beam), thermal neutrons can be efficiently generated. The generated thermal neutrons are irradiated to the small animal K as the second neutron beam N2 through the neutron beam transport unit 20. The gamma ray G emitted from the small animal K by being irradiated with the second neutron beam N2 is measured by the gamma ray measurement unit 63. Note that a SPECT apparatus may be employed as the gamma ray measurement unit 63. When the SPECT apparatus is employed, the SPECT apparatus is arranged so as to surround the sample arrangement unit 62 in which the small animal K is arranged and the small animal K.

  According to the neutron capture therapy system 100A shown in FIG. 6, the first neutron beam irradiation unit 12A that irradiates the irradiated body with the first neutron beam N1 (mainly epithermal neutrons), and the second neutron beam N2 ( A second neutron beam irradiation unit 12 </ b> C that irradiates the small animal K mainly with thermal neutrons can be provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Acceleration part, 12A, 12B ... Neutron beam irradiation part (1st neutron beam irradiation part), 12C ... 2nd neutron beam irradiation part, 13 ... Charged particle beam transport part (1st charged particle beam transport part) 19 ... second charged particle beam transport unit, 20 ... neutron beam transport unit, 30A, 30B ... first chamber, 60 ... second chamber, 80 ... treatment table, 86 ... collimator, 100,100A ... neutron capture Therapy system, N ... neutron beam, N1 ... first neutron beam, N2 ... second neutron beam, P ... charged particle beam, S ... irradiated object (patient), T ... target.

Claims (3)

A neutron capture therapy system that irradiates an irradiated body to which a drug is administered with a neutron capture therapy system,
An acceleration unit for accelerating charged particles;
A neutron beam irradiation unit that generates the neutron beam by irradiation of a charged particle beam and irradiates a part of the neutron beam as a first neutron beam toward the first room;
A treatment table provided in the first room on which the irradiated object is placed;
A neutron beam transport unit that transports a part of the neutron beam generated in the neutron beam irradiation unit as a second neutron beam to a second chamber different from the first chamber;
A sample placement section provided in the second room, in which a sample is placed;
A gamma ray measurement unit that is provided in the second room and measures gamma rays emitted by the reaction between the second neutron beam and the sample ,
The neutron beam irradiation unit includes a deceleration unit that reduces the energy of the neutron beam,
Neutron capture therapy system wherein one end of the neutron transport unit, that will be connected to the interior of the speed reduction unit. A neutron capture therapy system that irradiates an irradiated body to which a drug is administered with a neutron capture therapy system,
An acceleration unit for accelerating charged particles;
A first charged particle beam transport unit connected to the acceleration unit and transporting a charged particle beam;
A first neutron beam is generated by irradiating the charged particle beam transported from the first charged particle beam transport section and irradiates a part of the neutron beam as a first neutron beam to the first room side. Neutron irradiation part of
A treatment table provided in the first room on which the irradiated object is placed;
A second charged particle beam transport unit for branching the charged particle beam from the first charged particle beam transport unit;
A second neutron beam is generated by irradiating the charged particle beam transported from the second charged particle beam transport unit, and a part of the neutron beam is irradiated as a second neutron beam to the second room side. Neutron irradiation part of
A sample placement section provided in the second room, in which a sample is placed;
A gamma ray measurement unit that is provided in the second chamber and measures gamma rays emitted by the reaction between the second neutron beam and the sample,
The first neutron beam irradiation unit includes a deceleration unit that reduces energy of the neutron beam,
A collimator serving as an output port of the first neutron beam is provided between the speed reduction unit and the first room,
Said second neutron rays are irradiated to said sample of said second chamber without passing through the deceleration section, neutron capture therapy system in the gamma rays that will be measured by the gamma ray measuring unit without passing through the collimator. A neutron capture therapy system that irradiates an irradiated body to which a drug is administered with a neutron capture therapy system,
An acceleration unit for accelerating charged particles;
A first charged particle beam transport unit connected to the acceleration unit and transporting a charged particle beam;
A first neutron beam is generated by irradiating the charged particle beam transported from the first charged particle beam transport section and irradiates a part of the neutron beam as a first neutron beam to the first room side. Neutron irradiation part of
A treatment table provided in the first room on which the irradiated object is placed;
A second charged particle beam transport unit for branching the charged particle beam from the first charged particle beam transport unit;
The neutron beam is generated by irradiation of the charged particle beam transported from the second charged particle beam transport unit, and a second neutron beam is irradiated to the second room side as a second neutron beam. Neutron irradiation part of
A sample placement section provided in the second room, in which a sample is placed;
A gamma ray measurement unit that is provided in the second chamber and measures gamma rays emitted by the reaction between the second neutron beam and the sample;
Arranged on a path of the second charged particle beam transport unit, Bei give a, an energy reduction portion to reduce the energy of the charged particle beam passing through the second charged particle beam transport unit,
It said second neutron irradiation unit, neutron capture therapy system in the charged particle beam energy is reduced by the energy reduction unit that have a target made of lithium for generating thermal neutrons by being irradiated.

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