JP7309973B2 - Particle beam therapy system, construction method of particle beam therapy system, and particle beam therapy device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to a particle beam therapy system, a method for constructing a particle beam therapy system, and a particle beam therapy apparatus.

Conventionally, there is a particle beam therapy system that treats a patient's diseased part (cancer) by irradiating it with a particle beam. In such a particle beam therapy system, when the system is updated, a new treatment room is installed, and the new treatment room and the existing treatment room are operated alternately to continue treatment. I am trying to update the system.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-38628

In the particle beam therapy system, a thick shielding wall is installed around the radiation controlled area where the accelerator is placed to shield radiation. In the future, part of this shielding wall must be demolished to build a path to extend the accelerator. Therefore, there is a problem that the demolition work of the shielding wall takes time, the treatment is interrupted for a long period of time, and the operating rate of the system decreases.

The embodiment of the present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and is a technology for constructing a particle beam therapy system that can shorten the period during which treatment is interrupted during construction work and improve the operating rate. intended to provide

A particle beam therapy system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a circular accelerator that accelerates charged particles, a beam transport line that guides the charged particles accelerated by the circular accelerator to an irradiation chamber, the circular accelerator and the beam transport line. is located around the radiation controlled area, and is provided at a shielding wall that shields radiation generated from the circular accelerator and the beam transport line, and at a position that separates the outside of the shielding wall from the radiation controlled area, A specific part capable of forming an opening for extension of the irradiation chamber, and a blocking part that closes the specific part and shields the radiation passing through the specific part, wherein the beam transport line extends from the circular accelerator. and a sub-transport line extending from the main transport line to the irradiation chamber. Provided at a position including an intersection point, the specific portion can form the extension opening for extending the beam transport line from one surface of the shielding wall to the other surface thereof.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a technology for constructing a particle beam therapy system capable of shortening the period during which treatment is interrupted during construction and improving the operating rate.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a newly installed particle beam therapy system according to the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the particle beam therapy system when the first embodiment is expanded; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the specifying portion and the closing portion of the first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a side view showing a specifying portion and a closing portion of the first embodiment; The top view which shows an electromagnet apparatus. Flowchart showing a method for constructing a new particle beam therapy system. A flow chart showing a construction method of a particle beam therapy system at the time of expansion. The top view which shows the specific|specification part and closure part of 2nd Embodiment. The top view which shows the specific|specification part and closure part of 3rd Embodiment. The side view which shows the specific|specification part and closure part of 3rd Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the specific|specification part and floor reference|standard part of 4th Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
The present embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the particle beam therapy system of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes a particle beam therapy system. In this particle beam therapy system 1, a beam of particle beams such as carbon ions is irradiated to a lesion tissue (cancer) of a patient as a subject for treatment.

Radiation therapy technology using the particle beam therapy system 1 is also called heavy particle beam cancer therapy technology. With this technology, carbon ions are pinpointed at cancer lesions (affected areas), and it is possible to minimize damage to normal cells while damaging cancer lesions. Particle beams are defined as radiation heavier than electrons, and include proton beams, heavy particle beams, and the like. Heavy ions are defined as heavier than helium atoms.

Cancer treatment using heavy ion beams has a higher ability to kill cancer lesions than conventional cancer treatments using X-rays, gamma rays, and proton beams. It has the characteristic that the radiation dose peaks at cancer lesions. Therefore, the number of times of irradiation and side effects can be reduced, and the treatment period can be shortened.

As shown in FIG. 1, a particle beam therapy system 1 includes an ion source 2 that generates carbon ions, which are charged particles, a ring-shaped circular accelerator 3 that accelerates the carbon ions into a particle beam, and a particle beam and a rotating gantry 5 on which a patient to be irradiated with a particle beam is placed.

First, carbon ions generated by the ion source 2 enter the circular accelerator 3 . The carbon ions are accelerated to about 70% of the speed of light while circling the circular accelerator 3 about one million times to form a particle beam. This particle beam is then guided to two rotating gantry 5 via beam transport line 4 .

The circular accelerator 3 includes a high-frequency acceleration cavity that accelerates carbon ions by controlling the frequencies of the magnetic field and the accelerating electric field, an injection device that injects carbon ions from the ion source 2 into the circular accelerator 3, and a beam transport line from the circular accelerator 3. 4, an emission device for emitting a particle beam of carbon ions.

The circular accelerator 3 and the beam transport line 4 are equipped with vacuum ducts 6-9 (beam pipes) inside which are evacuated (see FIG. 5). A particle beam travels through these vacuum ducts 6-9. The circular accelerator 3 and the vacuum ducts 6 to 9 of the beam transport line 4 are integrated to form a transport path that guides the particle beam to the rotating gantry 5 . That is, the vacuum ducts 6 to 9 are closed continuous spaces having a degree of vacuum sufficient to pass the particle beam.

The circular accelerator 3 and the beam transport line 4 are provided with electromagnet devices 10-12 for controlling the particle beam (see FIGS. 2 and 5). Each electromagnet device 10-12 is arranged to surround the outer circumference of the vacuum ducts 6-9. A plurality of electromagnet devices 10-12 are arranged along the direction in which the vacuum ducts 6-9 extend.

Various types of electromagnet devices 10 to 12 are used. For example, a bending electromagnet device 10 used in the circular accelerator 3, a control quadrupole electromagnet device 11 for controlling the convergence and divergence of the particle beam used in the beam transport line 4, and a deflection device used to change the traveling direction of the particle beam. For example, the electromagnet device 12 .

The rotating gantry 5 is a large cylindrical device. This rotating gantry 5 is installed so that the central axis of the cylinder is oriented in the horizontal direction. The rotating gantry 5 is rotatable around this axis. A vacuum duct extending from the beam transport line 4 and an electromagnet device are attached to the rotating gantry 5 . In the rotating gantry 5 , the vacuum duct is first guided along the central axis of the rotating gantry 5 , once extended toward the cylindrical outer peripheral side of the rotating gantry 5 , and then extended again toward the inner peripheral side of the rotating gantry 5 . .

The rotating gantry 5 is provided with an irradiation unit that irradiates the patient with the particle beam guided by the beam transport line 4 . The particle beam is scanned and irradiated from the irradiation unit in two directions orthogonal to the beam traveling direction. The patient is placed on a bed provided inside the rotating gantry 5 . This bed is movable with the patient placed thereon. By moving the bed, the patient can be moved to the particle beam irradiation position and positioned. Therefore, the lesion tissue of the patient can be irradiated with the particle beam with optimum accuracy.

Further, by rotating the rotating gantry 5, the irradiation unit can be rotated around the patient. Then, the particle beam can be applied from any direction around the patient. In other words, the rotating gantry 5 is a device capable of changing the irradiation direction of the charged particles guided by the beam transport line 4 toward the patient. Therefore, it is possible to accurately irradiate the affected area with the particle beam from the optimum direction while reducing the burden on the patient.

The particle beam loses its kinetic energy when passing through the patient's body, slows down, and receives resistance that is approximately inversely proportional to the square of the velocity. A high energy called a Bragg peak is emitted in the vicinity of the stopping point of the particle beam. By aligning this Bragg peak with the position of the patient's lesion tissue (affected area), the particle beam therapy system 1 can kill only the lesion tissue while suppressing damage to normal tissue.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the particle beam therapy system 1 includes a main building 15 housing a circular accelerator 3 , a beam transport line 4 and a rotating gantry 5 . The main building 15 is a robust building made of reinforced concrete or the like. The first embodiment exemplifies the main building 15 in which the circular accelerator 3, the beam transport line 4, and the rotating gantry 5 are all installed on the same floor.

The interior of the main building 15 is divided into a radiation controlled area 16 including an accelerator room in which the circular accelerator 3 is installed and a normal area other than that. The radiation controlled area 16 is an area set up to clearly demarcate a place where the radiation dose exceeds a certain level and to prevent unnecessary entry of people in order to prevent unnecessary exposure of people to radiation. The establishment of this radiation controlled area 16 is stipulated by law.

The circular accelerator 3, the beam transport line 4, and the rotating gantry 5 are provided in the radiation controlled area 16 because they are devices that emit radiation during operation. Two rotating gantries 5 are provided in the radiation controlled area 16 of the main building 15 . A first treatment room 17 and a second treatment room 18 are provided in which these rotating gantry 5 are respectively arranged. These treatment rooms 17 and 18 are irradiation rooms in which charged particles are irradiated.

The beam transport line 4 consists of a main transport line 20 extending from the circular accelerator 3 and sub-transport lines 21 and 22 branched from the main transport line 20 and extending to the treatment rooms 17 and 18 . A bending electromagnet device 12 capable of changing the traveling direction of the particle beam is provided at a portion where the sub-transport lines 21 and 22 are connected to the main transport line 20 .

The main building 15 partitions the periphery of the radiation controlled area 16 and includes a shielding wall 23 that shields radiation, and a normal wall 24 that is used in the normal area and is not supposed to shield radiation.

The shielding wall 23 prevents radiation from leaking outside the radiation controlled area 16 . The thickness T of this shielding wall 23 is 1 to 2 m or more. In addition, when a metal plate such as lead or iron is provided inside the shielding wall 23, the thickness T of the shielding wall 23 may be less than 1 m. The ceiling portion of the radiation controlled area 16 is covered with a concrete ceiling plate having a predetermined thickness.

Radiation is generated mainly at the deflecting and stopping portions (vanishing portions) of the beam, especially in the tangential direction during beam deflection. The structure should have sufficient shielding ability in all directions. Therefore, the shielding wall 23 has a greater shielding ability than the ceiling plate.

In the interior of the main building 15, facilities such as a lobby 25, a corridor 26, an examination room 27, a staff room 28, and a waiting room 29 for patients are provided in normal areas. A person's entrance path from the patient's waiting room 29 to the treatment rooms 17 and 18 is formed by the shielding wall 23 and is formed in a bent crank shape in a plan view. Therefore, radiation does not leak from the treatment rooms 17 and 18 to the waiting room 29 for the patient.

In this embodiment, a controller 50 for controlling the circular accelerator 3, the beam transport line 4, and the rotating gantry 5 is provided in the main building 15. As shown in FIG. This control device 50 always monitors whether or not a predetermined safety condition is satisfied, prohibits the operation of the circular accelerator 3 when the predetermined safety condition is not satisfied, and provides an interlock 51 for emergency stop if the accelerator is in operation. Prepare.

A large amount of budget is required to construct the particle beam therapy system 1 . Therefore, when newly installing the particle beam therapy system 1, the number of facilities such as the treatment rooms 17 and 18 is suppressed in order to suppress the initial cost. After a few years from the start of operation, when the management stabilizes, expansion work will be carried out to increase the number of facilities. In this embodiment, an extension site 30 is secured in advance adjacent to the main building 15 .

As shown in FIG. 2, one rotating gantry 5 is provided in the expansion building 31 . A third treatment room 19 corresponding to this rotating gantry 5 is provided. This treatment room 19 is an irradiation room in which charged particles are irradiated. Along with the expansion of the third treatment room 19, other facilities such as a waiting room 29 for patients are also expanded.

The expansion building 31 is built so as to be integrated with the main building 15 . In other words, the expansion building 31 is a building in which the rotating gantry 5 is installed on the same floor as the main building 15 . The height of the floor of the expansion building 31 is the same as the height of the floor of the main building 15 .

In this way, when the particle beam therapy system 1 is newly installed, the number of installed rotating gantry 5, which is the most costly device, can be suppressed to reduce the cost at the time of new installation, and then the rotating gantry 5 is added and operated. rate can be improved.

The interior of the expansion building 31 is divided into a radiation controlled area 16 and other normal areas. The radiation controlled area 16 of the expansion building 31 is extended from the main building 15 . Further, the expansion building 31 includes an expansion shielding wall 32 that partitions the periphery of the radiation controlled area 16, and an expansion normal wall 33 that is used in the normal area.

Since the expansion building 31 is not provided with the circular accelerator 3 , the beam transport line 4 is extended from the main building 15 to the expansion building 31 . The beam transport line 4 is extended through a specific portion 34 which is an extension opening provided in the shielding wall 23 of the main building 15 . The extension is performed by connecting the beam transport line 4 in the main building 15 and the extension beam transport line 4 provided in the extension building 31 . In this embodiment, the identification unit 34 is provided in advance when the main building 15 is newly constructed.

1 and 2 are the west side of buildings 15 and 31, the right side of the paper is the east side of buildings 15 and 31, the upper side of the paper is the north side of buildings 15 and 31, and the lower side of the paper is the building 15 and 31. Described as the south side.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, the shielding wall 23 is provided with the specifying portion 34 . This specific portion 34 is an opening penetrating through the shielding wall 23 . In other words, the specifying section 34 is a communicating section that communicates from the main building 15 to the expansion building 31 . Also, a closing portion 35 that closes the identifying portion 34 and shields radiation passing through the identifying portion 34 is provided. In the first embodiment, the blocking part 35 is a shielding door that shields radiation.

The outdoors without a roof is exemplified as "outside" in this embodiment. The identification unit 34 is provided at a position on the shielding wall 23 that separates the outdoors from the radiation controlled area 16 . For example, in the main building 15 of FIG. 1, the walls on the west, north, and east sides of the shielding wall 23 face the outdoors. On the other hand, the wall surface on the south side of the shielding wall 23 faces indoors such as the patient's waiting room 29 . Therefore, the specifying portion 34 is provided at the position on the east side of the shielding wall 23 .

It should be noted that "outside" in this embodiment does not necessarily have to be outdoors, and may be indoors with a roof as long as it is outside the radiation controlled area 16 . For example, the position where the specifying part 34 is provided may be a position separating the radiation controlled area 16 from the indoors surrounded by the easily removable normal wall 24 .

Further, the specifying unit 34 is provided at a position on the side of the shielding wall 23 farther from the circular accelerator 3 . For example, in the main building 15 of FIG. 1, the circular accelerator 3 is installed in the west side of the radiation controlled area 16. Therefore, of the walls of the shielding wall 23 facing the outdoors, the specifying portion 34 is provided at the east side position. This is perpendicular to the line connecting the centroid Z of the radiation controlled area 16 and the center C of the circular accelerator 3, and when the line passing through the centroid Z is defined as the boundary K, the boundary K of the circular accelerator 3 is It can be said that this is the position of the area opposite to the area where the center C is located (west area) (east side area). That is, the specifying unit 34 is provided at a position opposite to the area where the center C of the circular accelerator 3 is located with respect to the centroid Z of the radiation controlled area 16 in plan view.

The "center of gravity" in this embodiment means the position of the center of gravity of the graphic, and is the point at which the graphic is balanced when that position is used as the fulcrum. For example, if the figure is a rectangle, its centroid is the intersection of the diagonals of the rectangle.

A circular accelerator 3 and treatment rooms 17 and 18 are provided in the radiation controlled area 16, and when the circular accelerator 3 is provided on one side, the treatment rooms 17 and 18 are provided on the other side. Therefore, in this way, when the treatment room 19 is added close to the treatment rooms 17 and 18, the beam transport line 4 can be extended from the main building 15 to the expansion building 31 via the specifying unit 34 in a short distance. can.

In addition, the specifying section 34 is provided at a further position in the direction in which the main transportation line 20 extends. In the main building 15 of FIG. 1, the main transport line 20 extends from the circular accelerator 3 on the west side to the east side, and the particle beam is transported from the west side to the east side. Therefore, the identifying portion 34 is provided at a position where the shielding wall 23 intersects with the imaginary line V when the main transport line 20 is extended downstream in the transport direction. In this way, when expanding the third treatment room 19 , the beam transport line 4 can be extended to the expansion building 31 without installing an additional bending electromagnet device 12 in the main building 15 .

At the end of the main transport line 20, a sub-transport line 22 extending to the second treatment room 18 located farthest from the circular accelerator 3 is provided. A connecting portion between the sub transport line 22 and the main transport line 20 is provided with a bending electromagnet device 12b. A specifying unit 34 may be provided in the vicinity of the bending electromagnet device 12b.

Further, the specifying unit 34 is provided at a position on the shielding wall 23 separating the expansion site 30 of the third treatment room 19 and the radiation controlled area 16 . In the main building 15 shown in FIG. 1, an extension site 30 is provided on the east side of the main building 15 . Therefore, the specifying part 34 is provided at the position on the east side of the shielding wall 23 . In this way, the extension opening can be provided close to the extension site 30 of the third treatment room 19, so that the extension route of the beam transport line 4 can be made the shortest.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the specific portion 34 is an opening having a rectangular shape when viewed from the side. The specific portion 34 is formed by horizontally penetrating the shielding wall 23 when the main building 15 is newly constructed. A closing portion 35 that closes the identifying portion 34 is a shielding door having a metal plate 36 such as lead or iron provided therein. By closing the specific portion 34 with the blocking portion 35 , radiation is prevented from leaking from the radiation controlled area 16 to the outside.

The vertical opening dimension Q1 of the specific portion 34 is about 60 cm. A lateral opening dimension Q2 of the specific portion 34 is approximately 80 cm. It should be noted that the vertical and horizontal opening dimensions Q1 and Q2 of the identification portion 34 are preferably 1 m or less. For example, the lateral dimension L1 and the longitudinal dimension L2 of the bending electromagnet device 12 used in the beam transport line 4 are about 1 to 2 m (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, the opening dimensions Q1 and Q2 of the identifying portion 34 are dimensions that the bending electromagnet device 12 cannot pass through. The dimensions of other electromagnet devices are also approximately 1 to 2 m.

Since the vertical and horizontal opening dimensions Q1 and Q2 of the identifying part 34 are 1 m or less, the vacuum duct 8 and the cable 37 constituting the extension beam transport line 4 can be connected via the identifying part 34 while minimizing the opening dimensions. can be installed. By minimizing the opening dimension, the robustness of the main building 15 can be maintained and the thickness of the shielding wall 23 can be minimized.

The vacuum duct 8 of the extension beam transport line 4 and various cables 37 are provided across the main building 15 and the extension building 31 with the specifying section 34 open. Of the lateral opening dimension Q2 of the specific portion 34, the right opening dimension Q3 is used to lead out the vacuum duct 8 and various cables 37. As shown in FIG. This opening dimension Q3 is approximately 20 cm. This opening dimension Q3 is a dimension corresponding to the diameter of the vacuum duct 8 .

On the other hand, the opening dimension Q4 on the left side is used for the workers who perform the expansion work to come and go between the main building 15 and the expansion building 31 . This opening dimension Q4 is approximately 60 cm. Further, the specifying portion 34 is provided at a predetermined height position H from the floor surface. This height position H is approximately 1 m. This height position H is set according to the height position of the existing vacuum duct 7 .

The identifying unit 34 of the present embodiment preferably secures an opening that is different from a doorway that is a normal entrance route for people and a loading entrance for newly installed equipment. In other words, in the shielding wall 23 of the main building 15, the identification unit 34 is provided in addition to the normal entrance for people and the entrance for newly installed equipment.

A loading port for newly installed equipment such as the electromagnet devices 10 to 12 is provided in the ceiling portion of the radiation controlled area 16 . This loading port is covered with a ceiling panel made of concrete after the equipment is loaded. Although it is possible to provide a loading port for new equipment in the shielding wall 23, the loading port at this time has a maximum opening size of about 5m, and if it is left as it is, the structure of the building will be fragile, and the thickness of the shielding wall 23 will be shielded. It becomes necessary to make the film thicker than required from performance. Therefore, after the equipment is brought in, the construction will be reworked and the entrance will be closed with the same structure as the surrounding area. At this time, the specific portion 34 can be provided by adjusting the size of the opening without completely closing the opening. It should be noted that an inlet may be provided at an appropriate position as the position where the identifying portion 34 is to be provided, and this inlet may be used as the identifying portion 34 .

At the time the equipment was brought into the new plant, there was no need for radiation control because it was before the start of operation. On the other hand, the blocking door, which is the closing part 35 of the first embodiment, is a door that is not opened normally after the start of treatment. Therefore, this shielding door is not provided with a handle. Further, this shielding door is provided with an operation part 49 that can be opened only from the radiation controlled area 16 side of the shielding wall 23 . This operation unit 49 is a lock that can be unlocked only from the radiation controlled area 16 side. In other words, the shielding door has a mechanism that can be opened only from the inside (the radiation controlled area 16). When operating the operating portion 49 to open the shielding door, a predetermined tool (for example, a detachable handle) is used to open the shielding door. It should be noted that the shielding door may be provided with a handle like a normal door.

In addition, an interlock 51 is provided to stop the operation of the device until the expansion work is completed when the blocking state of the blocking portion 35 changes due to, for example, opening of the shielding door (see FIG. 1). This can prevent unintended radiation leakage after the start of treatment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the closing portion 35, which is a shielding door, is provided with an opening/closing sensor 52 for detecting an opening/closing state. The interlock 51 (see FIG. 1) of the control device 50 determines whether or not the shielding door is opened based on the information acquired by the open/close sensor 52 . Here, when the shield door is open and the circular accelerator 3 is in operation, a process of emergency stopping the operation of the circular accelerator 3 is performed.

In this embodiment, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, the specifying part 34 is constructed in advance. Further, when the expansion building 31 is expanded, the opening for expansion can be easily provided in the shielding wall 23 by opening the specific portion 34 . Since it is not necessary to demolish the shielding wall 23 to form an extension opening, the construction period can be greatly shortened. The work of removing the blocking part 35 is usually completed within one day, in about two hours.

When the expansion work of the expansion building 31 is carried out, the shielding wall 32 of the expansion building 31 is constructed in advance. Equipment such as the expansion vacuum duct 8, the quadrupole electromagnet device 11, the bending electromagnet device 12c, and the rotating gantry 5 are carried into the expansion building 31 and assembled. These construction works can be carried out during the daytime while continuing normal treatment in the main building 15 . After installing the equipment of the expansion building 31, the specific part 34 is opened to connect the vacuum duct 7 of the beam transportation line 4 of the main building 15 and the vacuum duct 8 of the beam transportation line 4 of the expansion building 31. do. That is, the work of connecting the existing vacuum duct 7 and the additional vacuum duct 8 is performed at the end of the equipment assembly process.

The operation of opening the identification portion 34 and connecting the vacuum ducts 7 and 8 can be completed in about one day. In other words, in the main building 15, by performing this work on holidays such as weekends or at night when normal treatment is not performed, it is possible to complete the expansion work without lowering the operating rate of the particle beam therapy system 1. .

When an opening is provided in the shielding wall 23 that separates the radiation controlled area 16 from the outside as in the conventional case, equipment such as the circular accelerator 3 must be stopped so that radiation does not leak to the outside. This is because the construction work cannot be completed in one day and adequate radiation shielding is required during or after the opening is made. Even if the problem of radiation could be solved, the vibration (noise) generated when drilling a hole in the wall adversely affects the treatment, so the construction work must be suspended during the treatment. In the prior art, the equipment had to be stopped during construction work to provide an additional opening in the shielding wall 23, and there was a period during which normal treatment could not be performed. In this embodiment, by providing the specifying unit 34 in advance when the main building 15 is newly constructed, it is possible to eliminate the period during which normal treatment cannot be performed when the main building 15 is newly constructed. Furthermore, it is not necessary to carry out large-scale construction work in the main building 15 at the time of expansion.

In particle beam therapy, in particular, it is generally necessary to continue treatment for several weeks for about 3 to 4 days a week. Therefore, if there is a period of 4 days or more during which treatment cannot be performed, it will be necessary to start the treatment again from the beginning. In this embodiment, there is no need to interrupt treatment even when adding equipment. Therefore, the operating rate of the particle beam therapy system 1 can be improved.

Further, when constructing the expansion building 31, it is necessary to align the existing equipment and the expansion equipment before actually connecting them. In such a case, by opening the blocking part 35, the additional equipment is aligned with the existing equipment, and immediately after the alignment is completed, the opening is closed to shield the radiation. can do. Alignment may be performed by relocating the reference point in addition to equipment installation work. This work can also be done using holidays or nighttime periods when normal therapy is not being done. Since the blocking part 35 can be opened and closed as necessary, treatment using the particle beam therapy system 1 can be continued even during the extension work period.

As shown in FIG. 5, the beam transport line 4 includes normal vacuum ducts 7 and 8 without branches and a branch vacuum duct 9 branched in two directions. Branching vacuum ducts 9 are provided at branching portions of the main transport line 20 and the sub-transport lines 21 and 22 (see FIG. 1). A connecting flange 38 is provided at the ends of the normal vacuum ducts 7 and 8 , and a connecting flange 39 is provided at the end of the branching vacuum duct 9 .

Bending electromagnet devices 12a and 12b are provided at these branched portions (see FIG. 1). The magnetic field generated by these bending electromagnet devices 12 a and 12 b can cause the particle beam traveling on the main transport line 20 to go straight or bend toward the sub-transport lines 21 and 22 .

When the main building 15 is newly constructed, the end of the main transport line 20 is connected to the sub-transport line 22 extending to the second treatment room 18, but there is no need to branch it. However, the branching vacuum duct 9 is used in advance to connect the sub transport line 22 to the main transport line 20 .

A closing flange 40 is attached to the flange 39 at one end of the branching vacuum duct 9 . One end of the branching vacuum duct 9 is closed by this closing flange 40 . One end of the branch vacuum duct 9 serves as a connecting portion to which the extension vacuum duct 8 can be connected. Furthermore, this branching vacuum duct 9 is provided at a portion of the beam transport line 4 in the main building 15 that is closest to the specific portion 34 .

A closing valve may be provided on the flange 39 at one end of the branching vacuum duct 9 . By doing so, the expansion vacuum duct 8 is connected to one end of the branching vacuum duct 9 via a closing valve, and the beam transport line 4 is opened and closed by appropriately opening and closing this closing valve. can be tested or adjusted.

When expanding the expansion building 31, the closing flange 40 can be removed from the branch vacuum duct 9 and the expansion vacuum duct 8 can be connected. In this way, when the expansion work of the expansion building 31 is carried out, the expansion vacuum duct 8 can be connected without replacing the parts of the beam transport line 4 of the main building 15. can complete the work.

In this embodiment, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, the branching vacuum duct 9 is provided at the end of the main transport line 20, but other embodiments are also possible. For example, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, the sub-transport line 22 is connected to the end of the main transport line 20 via a vacuum duct bent in one direction. Then, the vacuum duct bent in one direction at the end of the main transport line 20 may be replaced with the branching vacuum duct 9 during the periodical inspection period of the particle beam therapy system 1 .

In this embodiment, the main building 15 is provided with a control device 50 that controls the circular accelerator 3 , the beam transport line 4 , and the rotating gantry 5 . When the beam transport line 4 and the rotating gantry 5 are added, the control device for controlling these added devices may be added to the expansion building 31, or the existing control device 50 in the main building 15 may be installed. may be used to control the added device.

Next, a method for constructing a new particle beam therapy system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S11, the new construction of the main building 15 is started. In the next step S12, the shielding wall 23 of the main building 15 is constructed. In the next step S13, the shielding wall 23 of the main building 15 is provided with the specific portion 34. As shown in FIG. In the next step S<b>14 , the specifying portion 34 is closed with the closing portion 35 .

In the next step S15, the treatment rooms 17 and 18 of the main building 15 are constructed. In the next step S16, the circular accelerator 3 is carried into the radiation control area 16 of the main building 15. As shown in FIG. In the next step S17, the beam transport line 4 is carried into the radiation controlled area 16 of the main building 15. As shown in FIG. In the next step S18, the rotating gantry 5 is carried into the treatment rooms 17 and 18 of the main building 15. FIG.

In the next step S19, various facilities such as the circular accelerator 3, the beam transport line 4, and the rotating gantry 5 brought into the main building 15 are tested or adjusted. In the next step S20, the new construction of the main building 15 is completed. In the next step S21, treatment is started with the newly installed equipment in the main building 15. FIG.

Next, the construction method of the particle beam therapy system at the time of expansion will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

First, in step S 31 , the expansion work is started on the expansion site 30 adjacent to the main building 15 . Here, treatment using the equipment in the main building 15 is continued. In the next step S32, the additional shielding wall 32 of the additional building 31 is constructed. In the next step S33, construction of the third treatment room 19 of the expansion building 31 is performed.

In the next step S34, the beam transportation line 4 is carried into the building 31 for expansion. In the next step S35, the rotating gantry 5 is carried into the third treatment room 19 of the building 31 for expansion.

In the next step S36, the blocking section 35 blocking the identification section 34 of the main building 15 is operated to open the identification section 34. FIG. Then, the beam transport line 4 of the main building 15 and the beam transport line 4 of the expansion building 31 are connected. These tasks can be performed using holidays or overnight periods. At this time, since the additional shielding wall 32 has already been installed, it is easy to set the radiation controlled area 16, and there is no need to worry about shielding after the specifying section 34 is opened.

In the next step S37, the extension construction of the extension building 31 is completed. In the next step S38, various facilities such as the circular accelerator 3, the beam transport line 4, and the rotating gantry 5 carried into the expansion building 31 are tested or adjusted during another holiday or nighttime period. In the next step S39, treatment is started with the additional equipment in the additional building 31. FIG.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the identifying portion 34A and the closing portion 35A of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those shown in the above-described embodiment, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the specifying portion 34A of the second embodiment is formed by horizontally penetrating the shielding wall 23 when the main building 15 is newly constructed. The specifying part 34A is provided on the shielding wall 23 when the main building 15 is newly constructed, as in the first embodiment described above. Furthermore, the position where the specifying part 34A is provided is also the position of the shielding wall 23 that separates the outdoors from the radiation controlled area 16, as in the first embodiment.

A closing portion 35A that closes the specifying portion 34A is a shielding block having a metal plate 36 such as lead or iron provided therein. The closing part 35A is a member having a convex shape in a cross-sectional view. The member may not be integrated but may be divided into a plurality of parts for easy handling. The closing portion 35A can be attached to the specific portion 34A from the outdoor side. Also, the closing portion 35A can be removed from the specifying portion 34A.

It should be noted that the closing portion 35A may be locked so that it cannot be easily opened. Further, an operation part 49 that can be operated to release only from the radiation controlled area 16 side may be provided in the blocking part 35A. In other words, the blocking part 35A may be a mechanism that can be opened only from the inside (the radiation controlled area 16). Further, an interlock 51 may be provided to stop the operation of the device when the closed state of the closed portion 35A changes.

When the expansion building 31 is expanded, the vacuum duct 8 for expansion of the beam transport line 4 and various cables 37 are led from the main building 15 to the expansion building 31 with the specific part 34A opened. By blocking the specific portion 34A with the blocking portion 35A, radiation is prevented from leaking from the radiation controlled area 16 to the outside.

In addition, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, the blocking portion 35A, which is a heavy and strong shielding block, is attached to the specific portion 34A. Then, when the expansion building 31 is expanded, it may be replaced with the blocking part 35A, which is a light and simple shielding block. Replacing it with a lightweight shielding block makes it easier to attach and detach the blocking part 35A when performing expansion work.

In the second embodiment, since the blocking part 35A is a shielding block that can be attached to and detached from the specifying part 34A, when expanding the treatment room, the expansion opening can be opened without performing the work of breaking the shielding wall 23. The opening operation can be easily performed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, the identifying portion 34B and the blocking portion 35B of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 10. FIG. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those shown in the above-described embodiment, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 9, the specifying unit 34B of the third embodiment is provided on the shielding wall 23 when the main building 15 is newly constructed, as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the position where the specifying part 34B is provided is also the position of the shielding wall 23 that separates the outdoors from the radiation controlled area 16, as in the first embodiment. When the main building 15 is newly constructed, the specific portion 34B is blocked by the blocking portion 35B forming part of the shielding wall 23 .

As shown in FIG. 10, most of the shielding wall 23 is made of reinforced concrete with reinforcing bars 41 inside. A blocking portion 35B that blocks the specific portion 34B is formed of unreinforced concrete without reinforcing bars 41 therein. In other words, the blocking portion 35B is a portion formed to be weaker than the other portions of the shielding wall 23 . In this way, while radiation is shielded by concrete, the portion formed of plain concrete can be used as the blocking portion 35B that is weaker in strength than the other portions of the shielding wall 23 .

Then, when the expansion building 31 is expanded, construction work is performed to penetrate the closed portion 35B formed of plain concrete, and an expansion opening is formed in the specified portion 34B. In addition, this specific part 34B has a dimension of opening from the floor surface to a predetermined height position.

In the third embodiment, the blocking portion 35B forms part of the shielding wall 23 and is formed to have a lower strength than other portions of the shielding wall 23, thereby ensuring a large opening and When expanding the number of treatment rooms, the work of forming the expansion opening can be performed in a short period of time.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, the identifying portion 34C and the closing portion 35C of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as those shown in the above-described embodiment, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the fourth embodiment exemplifies a main building 15A in which the circular accelerator 3 and the rotating gantry 5 are installed on different floors. Then, an extension building having the same number of floors is constructed adjacent to the main building 15A. In the case of the main building 15A having two or more stories, the circular accelerator 3 may be installed on the first floor 42, and the specifying unit 34C may be installed on the second floor 43 or higher. In this main building 15A, the shielding wall 23A on the second floor 43 is provided with a specific portion 34C. The specifying portion 34C is closed with a lid-like closing portion 35C.

Even when the circular accelerator 3 and the specifying section 34C are provided on different floors, the specifying section 34C is provided at a position separating the outside and the radiation controlled area 16 in the shielding wall 23A in plan view. In plan view, the specified portion 34C is located at the position where the imaginary line when the main transport line 20 is extended in the transport direction intersects the shielding wall 23A, that is, at the position further ahead in the direction in which the main transport line 20 extends in plan view. is provided. Further, in plan view, a specific portion 34C is provided at a position on the side of the shielding wall 23A farther from the circular accelerator 3 .

In the fourth embodiment, a floor reference portion 45 is provided to indicate the height position of the floor surface 44 of the second floor 43 where the identifying portion 34C exists. The floor reference portion 45 is provided at a position corresponding to the lower position of the specifying portion 34C. The floor reference portion 45 is a plate-shaped portion that protrudes laterally from the wall surface of the shielding wall 23A on the second floor 43 on the outdoor side. The upper surface of the floor reference portion 45 matches the height position of the floor surface 44 of the second floor 43 .

In this way, when constructing the expansion building, the height position of the floor surface 44 of the main building 15A, which is the standard for installing the equipment, can be set without the operator entering the radiation controlled area 16. The reference portion 45 allows confirmation from the outdoor side of the shielding wall 23A. Based on the confirmed height position of the floor surface 44 of the main building 15A, the height position of the floor surface of the second floor of the expansion building can be determined. In other words, in a situation where a high installation position accuracy of 1 mm or less is required, it is possible to prevent a step back in the process of connecting the beam transport line 4 by preventing a height deviation between the existing equipment and the additional equipment.

In the fourth embodiment, the floor reference part 45 is provided on the second floor 43 of the main building 15A. A floor reference portion 45 may be provided on the outdoor wall surface of the floor shielding wall.

Although the floor reference portion 45 is a plate-like portion projecting sideways from the wall surface, the floor reference portion 45 may be a concave portion formed by recessing the wall surface. Also, the floor reference portion 45 may be a marker provided on the wall surface.

The particle beam therapy system according to this embodiment has been described based on the first to fourth embodiments, but the configuration applied in any one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment, You may combine the structure applied in each embodiment. For example, the opening dimensions of the expansion opening of the first embodiment may be the dimensions of the expansion opening of the other embodiments.

In the flowchart of the present embodiment, each step is executed in series. good. Also, some steps may be executed in parallel with other steps.

In this embodiment, the treatment room 19 as an additional irradiation room is provided with the rotating gantry 5, but other forms may be used. For example, the treatment room may be a fixed room in which an irradiation unit that irradiates a patient with a particle beam is fixedly arranged without providing the rotating gantry 5 . Also, the irradiation room to be expanded may not be the treatment room 19, but may be an experimental room or a beam confirmation room.

In this embodiment, the height of the floor surface of the expansion building 31 is the same as the height of the floor surface of the main building 15, but even if the expansion building 31 and the main building 15 are on the same floor, , the height of the floor may be slightly different. Alternatively, a two-story extension building 31 may be constructed adjacent to the one-story main building 15, and these buildings 15 and 31 may be connected to each other.

Although the expansion building 31 is built integrally with the main building 15 in this embodiment, the expansion building 31 may be built at a location separate from the main building 15 . In that case, a connecting passage extending from the specific part 34 to the expansion building 31 may be formed, and the beam transport line may be extended from the main building 15 to the expansion building 31 through this passage.

In this embodiment, the specifying part 34 penetrates the shielding wall 23 in the horizontal direction, but other forms may be used. For example, when the beam transport line 4 is arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal plane, the specific part 34 may pass through the shielding wall 23 obliquely. Further, the specifying portion 34 may be bent inside the shielding wall 23 .

In this embodiment, the specifying part 34 is provided on the shielding wall 23 , but the specifying part may be provided on the ceiling (shielding wall) that partitions the radiation controlled area 16 . That is, the specifying part 34 may penetrate the ceiling in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the specifying part 34 is provided on the shielding wall 23 on the ground floor, but the specifying part 34 may be provided on the shielding wall 23 on the basement floor.

In this embodiment, a facility for heavy ion radiotherapy is exemplified, but this embodiment can also be applied to other facilities. For example, the present embodiment may be applied to facilities that perform proton beam cancer therapy. Moreover, you may apply this embodiment to the facility which treats by neutron capture therapy (BNCT:Boron Neutron Capture Therapy). In other words, the irradiation unit that irradiates the particle beam may not only irradiate the patient with the particle beam, but may also irradiate a predetermined target with the particle beam to generate neutrons.

In the present embodiment, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, the specifying portion 34 is provided in the shielding wall 23 of the main building 15. 32 may be newly provided with a specifying unit 34 . Then, if another building for expansion is to be added after that, the specific part 34 of the existing building for expansion 31 may be opened.

In this embodiment, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, the expansion building 31 is not constructed, and only the expansion site 30 is secured. For example, when the main building 15 is newly constructed, only the shielding wall 32 of the additional building 31 may be constructed together, and the specific portion 34 may be blocked by the blocking portion 35 . Then, after several years from the start of operation, expansion work may be carried out, and after adding equipment such as the rotating gantry 5 to the expansion building 31, the blocking part 35 may be removed and the specific part 34 may be opened.

According to at least one embodiment described above, by providing the specific part capable of forming an opening for extension of the irradiation room, the period during which treatment is interrupted during construction is shortened and the operating rate is improved. be able to.

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

1 Particle beam therapy system 2 Ion source 3 Circular accelerator 4 Beam transport line 5 Rotating gantry 6 to 9 Vacuum duct 10 to 12 (12a, 12b, 12c) Electromagnet device 15 (15A)... Main building, 16... Radiation control area, 17... First treatment room, 18... Second treatment room, 19... Third treatment room, 20... Main transport line, 21, 22... Sub transport line, 23 ( 23A)...Shielding wall 24...Normal wall 25...Lobby 26...Corridor 27...Examination room 28...Staff room 29...Patient waiting room 30...Expansion site 31...Expansion building 32... Shielding wall 33 Normal wall 34 (34A, 34B, 34C) Specific part 35 (35A, 35B, 35C) Closing part 36 Metal plate 37 Cable 38, 39 Flange 40 Closing Flange 41 Reinforcing bar 42 1st floor 43 2nd floor 44 Floor surface 45 Floor reference unit 49 Operation unit 50 Control device 51 Interlock 52 Open/close sensor C Center , H...position, K...boundary, L1, L2...size, Q1 to Q4...opening size, V...virtual line.

Claims (12)

a circular accelerator for accelerating charged particles;
a beam transport line that guides the charged particles accelerated by the circular accelerator to an irradiation chamber;
a shielding wall surrounding a radiation controlled area in which the circular accelerator and the beam transport line are arranged and shielding radiation generated from the circular accelerator and the beam transport line;
a specific part provided at a position separating the outside of the shielding wall from the radiation controlled area and capable of forming an opening for extension of the irradiation chamber;
a blocking part that blocks the specific part and shields the radiation that passes through the specific part;
with
The beam transport line comprises a main transport line extending from the circular accelerator and a sub-transport line extending from the main transport line to the irradiation chamber,
The specifying portion is provided at a position including an intersection point between the shielding wall and an imaginary line when the main transportation line is extended downstream in the transportation direction,
The specifying part can form the expansion opening for extending the beam transport line from one surface to the other surface of the shielding wall.
Particle therapy system. a circular accelerator for accelerating charged particles;
a beam transport line that guides the charged particles accelerated by the circular accelerator to an irradiation chamber;
a shielding wall surrounding a radiation controlled area in which the circular accelerator and the beam transport line are arranged and shielding radiation generated from the circular accelerator and the beam transport line;
a specific part provided at a position separating the outside of the shielding wall from the radiation controlled area and capable of forming an opening for extension of the irradiation chamber;
a blocking part that blocks the specific part and shields the radiation that passes through the specific part;
a branching vacuum duct that is provided at a portion of the beam transport line closest to the specific portion and branches in two directions;
a connecting portion provided at one end of the branching vacuum duct to which an extension vacuum duct can be connected;
with
The specifying part can form the expansion opening for extending the beam transport line from one surface to the other surface of the shielding wall.
Particle therapy system. 3. The particle beam therapy system according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit is provided at a position opposite to a region where the center of the circular accelerator is located with respect to the centroid of the radiation controlled area in plan view. 4. The particle beam therapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the specifying unit is provided at a position on the shielding wall separating the site for extension of the irradiation room and the radiation controlled area. The particle beam therapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the extension opening has an opening dimension of 1 m or less. The particle beam therapy system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the specific portion is an opening penetrating through the shielding wall, and the blocking portion is a shielding door that shields the radiation. 6. The specific portion is an opening penetrating through the shielding wall, and the blocking portion is a shielding block that shields the radiation and is detachable from the specific portion. The particle beam therapy system according to item 1. The particle beam according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the blocking portion forms part of the shielding wall and is a portion formed with a lower strength than other portions of the shielding wall. treatment system. The particle beam therapy according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a rotating gantry provided in the irradiation chamber and capable of changing an irradiation direction of the charged particles guided by the beam transport line toward the subject. system. When installing a new particle beam therapy system,
providing a circular accelerator for accelerating charged particles;
providing a beam transport line for guiding the charged particles accelerated by the circular accelerator to an irradiation chamber;
providing a shielding wall surrounding a radiation controlled area in which the circular accelerator and the beam transport line are arranged and shielding radiation generated from the circular accelerator and the beam transport line;
a step of providing a specific portion provided at a position separating the outside of the shielding wall from the radiation controlled area and capable of forming an opening for extension of the irradiation chamber;
providing a blocking portion that blocks the specific portion and shields the radiation that passes through the specific portion;
including
The beam transport line comprises a main transport line extending from the circular accelerator and a sub-transport line extending from the main transport line to the irradiation chamber,
The specifying portion is provided at a position including an intersection point between the shielding wall and an imaginary line when the main transportation line is extended downstream in the transportation direction,
The specifying part can form the expansion opening for extending the beam transport line from one surface to the other surface of the shielding wall.
A method of constructing a particle beam therapy system. When expanding the particle beam therapy system,
A step of providing an additional shielding wall around the specific portion;
providing an additional beam transport line for an additional irradiation chamber;
removing the blocking portion to open the specific portion;
connecting the existing beam transport line and the extension beam transport line via the specifying unit in order to allow the charged particles accelerated by the circular accelerator to reach the additional irradiation chamber;
including
The particle beam therapy system before expansion is
the circular accelerator that accelerates the charged particles;
the existing beam transport line;
an existing shielding wall that shields radiation;
the specific part capable of forming an expansion opening provided in the existing shielding wall;
the closing portion that closes the specific portion;
with
The existing beam transport line consists of a main transport line extending from the circular accelerator and a sub-transport line extending from the main transport line to the irradiation chamber,
The specifying portion is provided at a position including an intersection point between the shielding wall and an imaginary line when the main transportation line is extended downstream in the transportation direction,
The specifying part can form the extension opening for connecting the existing beam transport line on one side of the shielding wall and the extension beam transport line on the other side of the shielding wall. is
A method of constructing a particle beam therapy system. an extension beam transport line that guides charged particles to the irradiation room in the extension building;
an extension rotary gantry provided in the irradiation chamber and capable of changing the irradiation direction of the charged particles directed by the extension beam transport line toward the subject;
a connecting portion that connects the existing beam transport line and the extension beam transport line through a specific portion that is provided in advance in a shielding wall that shields radiation of the existing building;
with
The existing beam transport line consists of a main transport line extending from a circular accelerator and a sub-transport line extending from the main transport line to the irradiation chamber,
The specifying portion is provided at a position including an intersection point between the shielding wall and an imaginary line when the main transportation line is extended downstream in the transportation direction,
The specifying part can form an extension opening for connecting the existing beam transport line on one side of the shielding wall and the extension beam transport line on the other side of the shielding wall. be,
Particle therapy equipment.