JPH05161720A - Radiotherapeutic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a radiotherapeutic device capable of improving the throughput of therapy and improving the availability factor of the device. CONSTITUTION:A treatment room 5 is partitioned by a shielding wall 4, and radiation radiating port 6 radiating the heavy particles accelerated by a synchrotron to diseased sections of patients 1a, 1b is arranged, for example. A turntable 11 is rotatably arranged at the entrance of the treatment room 5. Treatment beds 2a, 2b mounting the patients 1a, 1b are mounted on the turntable 11, and a radioactive ray shielding wall 12 isolating the treatment room 5 is provided. Positioning means positioning the patients 1a, 1b, e.g. laser pointers, not shown in the figure are arranged on the inside or outside of the treatment room 5.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radiotherapy apparatus using radiation such as X-ray, electron beam, neutron beam, proton beam or heavy particle beam.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a device layout view showing an example of a conventional radiotherapy apparatus, in which 1 is a patient and 2 is a patient 1.
A treatment table on which the patient lays down, 3 is a radiation shielding door that also serves as an entrance / exit of the patient 1, 4 is a shielding wall that partitions the treatment room 5, and 6 is a heavy particle accelerated by a synchrotron (not shown), for example, neon as a beam. It is a radiation irradiation port for irradiating the affected area of the patient 1 to be taken out.

Next, the operation of the above conventional radiotherapy apparatus will be described. First, lay patient 1 on treatment table 2,
The radiation shielding door 3 is opened and carried to a predetermined position in the treatment room 5. Then, the affected area inside (or on the surface of) the patient 1 is effectively irradiated with radiation, and the patient 1 is positioned so that the dose is maximized. For this positioning, a mark (landmark) is put on the body surface of the patient 1, and a laser pointer (not shown) as positioning means arranged in the treatment room 5 is provided.
The patient 1 is moved so that the landmark is located at the intersection of the plurality of laser beams emitted from each other, that is, the center of the affected area is located at the isocenter. Here, the laser pointer is adjusted in advance so that the heavy particle beam accelerated by the synchrotron and irradiated from the radiation irradiation port 6 passes through the intersection of the laser beams emitted from the laser pointer.

After being positioned in this way, heavy particle beams are irradiated from the radiation irradiation port 6 to the affected area of the patient 1 for treatment. Here, heavy ion beams such as neon and proton beams suddenly become stronger at a certain depth depending on the energy, and have the property of becoming better before and after that, so in this treatment, the peak portion is set to the depth of the affected area. The energy of the irradiation radiation is changed so as to match the irradiation time, and irradiation is performed for a short time so that the affected area can be accurately reached, so that damage to normal tissue is reduced and efficient treatment is performed. Further, the treatment room 5 during treatment is isolated by the radiation shielding door 3 and the shielding wall 4 to prevent the worker from being exposed to radiation.

As described above, since a therapeutic apparatus using radiation has a larger irradiation dose than a diagnostic apparatus, it is necessary to eliminate an obstacle to normal tissue and to carry out an accurate radiotherapy. The positioning operation requires a long time to perform accurate positioning. In the conventional medical device described above, the positioning operation of the patient 1 that requires a long time must be performed in the treatment room 5, the treatment device is in a state of not being treated for a long time, and the number of patients 1 to be treated is limited. However, there is a drawback that the operating rate of the treatment device decreases.

Further, as shown in FIG.
There is an X-ray CT apparatus described in Japanese Patent No. 26542.
In the figure, 7 is a gantry, 8 is an opening, and 9 is a treatment table 2.
A rail 10 for moving the screen is a shielding curtain. In the above conventional X-ray CT apparatus, the patient 1 is laid on one of the treatment tables 2 and moved on the rail 9 in the direction of arrow A to approach the gantry 7. Then, the treatment table 2 is attached to the opening 8 of the gantry 7.
To move the patient 1 into the opening 8, emit X-rays from an X-ray tube (not shown) arranged in the gantry 7, and transmit the X-rays transmitted through the patient 1 to the X-rays. Detector (not shown)
Then, a tomographic image of the patient 1 is taken. At this time, the other treatment table 2 moves in the direction of arrow D, retracts from the gantry 7, and is in a standby state. In this state, the shielding curtain 10
It is stretched to provide radiation protection, and there is no worry of radiation exposure on the other treatment table 2 side.

[0007] While taking a tomographic image of the patient 1 on the side of one treatment table 2, the next patient 1 is laid down on the side of the other treatment table 2 and the patient 1 is fixed and the electrocardiograph and electroencephalogram are taken. Set the meter etc. and prepare for shooting. When the imaging is completed on one of the treatment tables 2 side, the treatment table 2 is moved in the direction of arrow B to be in the standby state, and the other treatment table 2 is moved in the direction of arrow C,
The gantry 7 is advanced into the opening 8 and a tomographic image of the patient 1 is taken. After that, the above operations are sequentially repeated to eliminate the loss of the alternation time of the patient 1 and speed up the imaging.

However, in a diagnostic device that emits a smaller amount of irradiation radiation than a treatment device, there is less obstruction to the patient 1 due to irradiation of radiation during the diagnostic time, and there is no need for an accurate positioning operation of the patient 1. Although the above X-ray CT apparatus can improve the examination throughput of the patient 1, it is not configured to perform accurate positioning operation.

[0009]

Since the conventional radiotherapy apparatus is constructed as described above, the positioning operation of the patient 1 must be carried out in the treatment room 5, and the radiotherapy apparatus is used for long-term treatment. There is a problem in that the number of patients 1 to be treated is limited and the operating rate of the radiation therapy apparatus is reduced, as a result.

Further, since the conventional X-ray CT apparatus is constructed as described above, there is a problem that the positioning operation of the patient 1 cannot be performed accurately.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and accurately positions a patient,
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to obtain a radiotherapy apparatus that can improve the operation rate of the radiotherapy apparatus.

[0012]

A radiotherapy apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is rotatably arranged at the entrance and exit of the treatment room so that a part of the treatment room is housed in the treatment room and a plurality of treatments are provided. A turntable on which a table is placed, a radiation shielding wall that shields the entrance and exit of the treatment room, and positioning means provided inside and outside the treatment room are provided.

The radiotherapy apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises a treatment unit comprising a treatment table on which a patient lies down and positioning means for positioning the patient lying down on the treatment table. is there.

[0014]

In the first aspect of the present invention, the patient lying on the treatment table placed on the turntable is positioned by the positioning means outside the treatment room in advance in the treatment waiting state, and is positioned by the turntable. In this state, the treatment table is rotated and moved into the treatment chamber, and the positioning operation of the patient in the treatment chamber is significantly shortened.

According to the second aspect of the present invention,
The positioning of the patient lying on the treatment table is performed by the positioning means arranged in the treatment unit in the treatment waiting state, and the treatment unit can be set in the treatment chamber in the positioned state, and the patient is positioned in the treatment chamber. The operation is greatly shortened.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Example 1. FIG. 1 is a device configuration diagram of a radiotherapy apparatus showing an embodiment according to the first invention of the present invention. In the figure, the same or corresponding parts as those of the conventional radiotherapy apparatus shown in FIG. However, the description is omitted.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a turntable rotatably arranged at the entrance and exit of the treatment room 5. Two turntables 2a and 2b are opposed to the turntable 11.
Is placed. Reference numeral 12 is a radiation shielding wall arranged on the turntable 11 so as to divide the turntable 11 into two parts, and the radiation shielding wall 12 shields the entrance and exit of the treatment room 5. Here, in the first embodiment, although not shown, a laser pointer as a positioning means is arranged inside and outside the treatment room 5 for positioning the patient 1.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. First, the patient 1a is laid down on the treatment table 2a placed on the turntable 11 outside the treatment room 5, and the patient 1a is positioned by using the laser pointer arranged outside the treatment room 5. Then, when the turntable 11 is rotated by 180 °, the patient 1a is positioned at a predetermined position in the treatment room 5 together with the treatment table 2a, and is positioned again by the laser pointer arranged in the treatment room 5. At this time, the patient 1 is positioned outside the treatment room 5 in advance and is rotated and moved into the treatment room 5 by the rotation of the turntable 11.
There is almost no displacement of the position of the patient 1 inside, and the positioning operation within the treatment room 5 only requires fine adjustment. The treatment room 5 is separated by the shield wall 4 and the radiation shield wall 12,
Radiation leakage to the outside is prevented.

After the positioning of the patient 1 is completed, a heavy particle beam is irradiated from the radiation irradiation port 6 to the affected part of the patient 1 for treatment. During this period, another patient 1b is laid on the treatment table 2b placed on the turntable 11 outside the treatment room 5, and the positioning operation of the patient 1b is performed by the laser pointer provided outside the treatment room 5. deep. After the treatment inside the treatment room 5 and the positioning operation outside the treatment room 5 are completed, the turntable 11 is rotated by 180 ° to bring the treated patient 1a out of the treatment room 5 and leave the untreated patient 1b. Bring it into the treatment room 5. Thereafter, the above operation is sequentially repeated to improve the treatment throughput.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the turntable 11 on which the two treatment tables 2a and 2b are placed is rotatably arranged at the entrance and exit of the treatment room 5, and the entrance and exit of the treatment room 5 is arranged. Since a radiation shielding wall that shields the patient is disposed, and a laser pointer is disposed inside and outside the treatment room 5, the patient 1 can be positioned outside the treatment room 5 in the treatment waiting state, and There is an effect that it can be rotationally moved to the treatment room, the positioning operation in the treatment room 5 is significantly shortened, and the operating rate of the radiation therapy apparatus can be improved.

Example 2. FIG. 2 is a device configuration diagram of a radiation therapy apparatus showing another embodiment according to the first aspect of the present invention, in which 13 is a slide rail arranged on the turntable 11, and this slide rail 13 is It is composed of a slide rail 13a for the treatment table 2a and a slide rail 13b for the treatment table 2b. Reference numeral 14 denotes a slide rail arranged in the treatment room 5. The slide rail 14 is arranged so as to be connected to the slide rail 13 when the turntable 11 comes to a predetermined position.

According to the second embodiment, the turntable 1
The treatment table 2 can be easily moved by using the slide rail 13 on the device 1, and the positioning operation of the patient 1 is simplified. Furthermore, after positioning outside the treatment room 5, the turntable 11
And rotate the treatment table 2 in the treatment room 5 to slide the rail 14
The turntable 11 can be made smaller by moving it to the side position 2c and finally positioning it on the slide rail 14.

Example 3. FIG. 3 is a device configuration diagram of a radiotherapy apparatus showing an embodiment according to the second invention of the present invention, in which reference numeral 15 is a treatment unit, and a treatment table 2 is arranged in the treatment unit 15. In addition, a laser pointer 16 as a positioning means is provided, and an opening 17 for irradiating the heavy particle beam is provided. 18
Is a guide rail for guiding the treatment unit 15 laid on the floor.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described.
First, the patient 1 is placed on the treatment table 2 in the treatment unit 15 outside the treatment room 5, and the patient 1 is positioned by the laser pointer 16. Here, the patient 1 is the treatment unit 1
It has been positioned with respect to 5. Then, the treatment unit 15 moves on the guide rail 18 and moves to the treatment room 5.
Is set to a predetermined position inside. Here, since the position of the treatment unit 15 with respect to the treatment room 5 is determined, it means that the patient 1 is necessarily positioned with respect to the treatment room 5.

Then, the heavy particle beam emitted from the radiation irradiation port 6 is applied to the affected area of the patient 1 through the opening 17,
Perform treatment. At this time, the positioning operation of the patient 1 is similarly performed in the other treatment unit 15 outside the treatment room 5.

Here, after the treatment unit 15 is set, the entrance / exit of the treatment room 5 may be shielded by a radiation shielding door, or the treatment unit 15 may be provided with a radiation shielding function so that the treatment unit 15 is installed in the treatment room 5. When set,
The entrance and exit of the treatment room 5 may be shielded by the treatment unit 15.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the treatment table 2 is used.
Further, since the treatment unit 15 provided with the laser pointer 16 as the positioning means is provided, the patient 1 can be positioned in the treatment unit 15 in the treatment waiting state, and the treatment unit 1 in which the patient 1 is positioned can be positioned.
The treatment can be started only by setting 5 in the treatment room 5, the positioning time in the treatment room 5 can be significantly shortened, and the operating rate of the radiation therapy apparatus can be improved.

Example 4. Although the treatment table 2 is simply arranged in the treatment unit 15 in the third embodiment,
In the fourth embodiment, the treatment table 2 is rotatably arranged in the treatment unit 15, so that the positioning operation of the patient 1 can be simplified.

In the first embodiment described above, the two treatment tables 2 are mounted on the turntable 11, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the treatment table 2 is mounted on the turntable 11. Even if there are three or more treatment tables 2,
Has the same effect.

In each of the above embodiments, the radiation is
It is explained using the heavy particle beam of neon, but also using a heavy particle beam other than neon, such as helium, carbon, silicon, or argon, or using a proton beam and a fast neutron beam, Produce the effect of.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the heavy particle beam is used as the radiation, but the same effect can be obtained even when the X-ray or the electron beam is used as the radiation. In this case, as a radiation generating means, a linear accelerator (linac) which is much smaller than a heavy particle synchrotron is used, and the linac itself is rotated around the patient 1 who is laid on the treatment table 2. Can be configured to.

[0032]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the turntable is rotatably disposed at the entrance and exit of the treatment room so that a part of the treatment table is accommodated in the treatment room, and a plurality of treatment tables are mounted on the turntable. Since the radiation shielding wall that shields the entrance and exit of the treatment room and the positioning means provided inside and outside the treatment room are provided, the patient can be positioned outside the treatment room in the waiting state for the treatment, and the positioned state. Can be rotated to the treatment room, and positioning operations inside the treatment room can be significantly shortened, improving the operating rate of the radiation therapy device.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the treatment unit having the treatment table and the positioning means is provided, the patient can be positioned in the treatment unit in the treatment waiting state, and further, the patient can be positioned. The treatment can be started only by setting the positioned treatment unit in the treatment room, the positioning time in the treatment room can be significantly shortened, and the operation rate of the radiation therapy apparatus can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a device configuration diagram of a radiotherapy apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a device configuration diagram of a radiotherapy apparatus showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a device configuration diagram of a radiotherapy apparatus showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a device configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional radiotherapy apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a device configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional X-ray CT apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a, 1b Patient 2, 2a, 2b Treatment table 4 Shielding wall 5 Treatment room 6 Radiation irradiation port (radiation emitting device) 11 Turntable 12 Radiation shielding wall 15 Treatment unit 16 Laser pointer

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] July 20, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0003

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Next, the operation of the above conventional radiotherapy apparatus will be described. First, open the radiation shielding door 3 and open the patient
1 is placed on the treatment table 2 and roughly placed at a predetermined position in the treatment room 5.
Set . Then, the affected area inside (or on the surface of) the patient 1 is effectively irradiated with the radiation so that the dose is maximized in the affected area. For this positioning, a plurality of marks (landmarks) are attached to the body surface of the patient 1, and a plurality of laser beams emitted from a laser pointer (not shown) as a positioning means arranged in the treatment room 5 is used. To the destination of
The patient 1 is moved so that all the landmarks come to the center, that is, the center of the affected part comes to the isocenter. Here, the laser pointer is adjusted in advance so that the heavy particle beam accelerated by the synchrotron and irradiated from the radiation irradiation port 6 passes through the intersection of the laser beams emitted from the laser pointer.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0023

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Example 3. FIG. 3 is a device configuration diagram of a radiotherapy apparatus showing an embodiment according to the second invention of the present invention, in which reference numeral 15 is a treatment unit, and a treatment table 2 is arranged in the treatment unit 15. And a plurality of laser pointers 16 as positioning means are provided.
(Although not shown, it is also installed vertically above the patient 1.
In addition, an opening 17 through which the heavy particle beam is irradiated is provided. Reference numeral 18 is a guide rail for guiding the treatment unit 15 laid on the floor.

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0030

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In each of the above embodiments, the radiation is
It is explained using the heavy particle beam of neon, but also using a heavy particle beam other than neon, such as helium, carbon, silicon, or argon, or using a proton beam and a fast neutron beam, Produce the effect of. Also, with positioning means
The laser pointer 16 is used for the explanation.
Other than user pointer 16, X-ray CT, X-ray TV, X-ray
Simulator, linac CT, MRI, positron C
Even if a well-known image diagnostic machine such as T is used, the same effect can be obtained.
It

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 3]

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A radiotherapy apparatus comprising a treatment room partitioned by a shielding wall for shielding radiation, and a radiation emitting device for emitting radiation for treating an affected part of a patient housed in the treatment chamber. A turntable on which a plurality of treatment tables are mounted and which is rotatably disposed at the entrance and exit of the treatment room so as to be housed in the treatment room; and a radiation shielding wall which shields the entrance and exit of the treatment room. And a positioning means provided inside and outside the treatment room, respectively. 2. A radiotherapy apparatus comprising: a treatment room partitioned by a shielding wall that shields radiation; and a radiation emitting device that emits radiation for treating an affected part of the patient housed in the treatment chamber. A radiotherapy apparatus comprising a treatment unit having a treatment table on which the patient rests and a positioning unit for positioning the patient placed on the treatment table.