WO2014193110A1

WO2014193110A1 - Apparatus for measuring radiation dosage of charged particle and imaging apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2014193110A1
Application number: PCT/KR2014/004501
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이세병; 김주영; 박세준; 신동호; 신재익; 임영경; 정치영; 조성구
Original assignee: 국립암센터
Priority date: 2013-05-29
Filing date: 2014-05-20
Publication date: 2014-12-04
Also published as: KR101448075B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a radiation dosage of a charged particle and an imaging apparatus. According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the energy intensity of a proton or baryon beam emitted from a nozzle beam according to the variation in water depth within a water phantom box, and to obtain a desired proton- or baryon-based object image required for treatment planning.

Description

Radiation dose measuring device and imaging device of charged particles

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring radiation dose, and more particularly, to obtain a proton beam dose distribution in a patient body so that the energy of the proton beam output from the nozzle beam is optimized for treatment during proton treatment. The present invention relates to a radiation dose measuring apparatus and an imaging apparatus of a charged particle which acquires image information of) based on protons and precisely measures the maximum reaching distance of the actual proton beam.

Radiation therapy is the use of radiation in the treatment of disease, which uses wave-like radiation such as X-rays, gamma rays, or particle-like radiation such as electron beams or protons to delay the growth of malignant diseases such as cancer cells, Refers to treatment that destroys the cause.

In radiation therapy, the radiation source must be positioned very precisely according to the location of the radiation target, for example, the tumor to be treated, and then focused only on the target to maximize the radiation treatment effect. In other words, when performing radiation therapy, it is important to intensively irradiate radiation only to the tumor site and not to reach normal tissues.

However, conventional radiation (X-ray) treatment had side effects of destroying not only cancer cells but also normal cells exposed to radiation in large quantities.

Recently, proton therapy has been introduced to solve this problem. Proton therapy is a method that utilizes the characteristic of delivering the small energy in the front of the medium where the proton beam enters and passing all the remaining energy into the medium just before stopping.

Therefore, normal normal tissue is rarely irradiated until the proton beam reaches the cancer target site, and when it reaches the tumor, it releases and removes all energy, thus having no typical effect on the normal tissue behind the tumor. Because of this, proton therapy has the advantage of minimizing the risk of damage to healthy normal tissue surrounding the tumor as compared to conventional radiation (X-ray) treatment.

Proton therapy that offers this advantage is important to set to output the optimal energy proton beam at the beam nozzle. This is because the best therapeutic effect can be obtained by irradiating a proton beam of optimal energy corresponding to the condition, size or depth of the tumor.

If the energy size of the proton beam cannot be optimized for the characteristics of the patient's tumor, the patient may be irradiated with more radiation than necessary to cause a medical accident.

Proton therapy, on the other hand, uses imaging devices to photograph various tumors. If the size or location of the tumor is determined by the imaging device, the tumor is removed using a proton beam. Therefore, the imaging apparatus must ensure accurate and accurate shooting performance so that the doctor can make a correct judgment.

X-ray-based CT images used in proton treatment planning currently have the advantage of providing precise anatomical image information, but CT image-based treatment planning algorithms accurately calculate the maximum range that a proton passes through the medium. There was a limit to pay.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, the radiation dose of the charged particles to obtain the accurate distribution of the proton beam dose in the patient by setting the energy size of the proton beam to the optimum conditions according to the patient to be treated for proton treatment To provide a measuring device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus capable of more accurately and accurately measuring the maximum reach distance of a real proton beam in a medium by acquiring image information on an object to be photographed, such as a tumor, based on a proton. .

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the above object, a dark box housing of the outer and sealed structure; A fixed bar installed at an upper end of the dark box housing and a guide rail installed at a lower end thereof; A water phantom box configured within the dark box housing and moving along the guide rail; A transparent box connected to the fixed bar and fixed in the water phantom box; And a sensing element provided on one surface of the transparent box and configured to sense an intensity of radiation energy emitted from the nozzle beam in response to a change in thickness of the water according to the movement of the water phantom box. do.

One surface of the transparent box provided with the sensing element is a surface to which the radiation first reaches.

The radiation is a proton or medium particle beam.

The thickness of the water corresponds to a change in distance between one surface of the water phantom box and one surface of the transparent box provided with the sensing element.

According to another feature of the invention, the dark box housing of the outer and sealed structure; A water phantom box installed in the dark box housing and moved by a driving force; A transparent box fixedly installed in the water phantom box; A flash plate installed in one surface of the transparent box through which a proton beam first arrives; A mirror installed at a predetermined angle with the flash plate; And when the proton beam emitted toward the object located in the emission path of the beam nozzle passes through the object and the remaining energy passes through the flash plate, light emitted in proportion to the remaining energy is captured in the mirror. It provides an imaging device comprising a camera.

The image of the object is provided at a different value according to the change in the thickness of water in the water phantom box.

The thickness of the water corresponds to a change in distance from the fixed transparent box according to the movement of the water phantom box.

According to the radiation dose measuring device and the imaging device of the charged particles of the present invention as follows.

First, since the present invention can adjust the energy intensity of the proton beam emitted from the nozzle beam according to the change in the thickness of the water in the water phantom box (that is, the maximum reaching distance of the proton beam can be adjusted by the change in the thickness of the water), the actual proton treatment The dose distribution of the proton beam to be irradiated at the optimal condition for each patient can be accurately identified before the actual treatment, so that a safe and effective treatment effect can be expected.

In addition, since the present invention can obtain a proton-based image of a desired object by adjusting the thickness of the water when photographing an object such as a human body or an animal, information that accurately reflects the reaction in the proton's medium than the conventional X-ray-based device It also has the effect of improving the accuracy of the treatment plan.

1 and 2 is an overall configuration diagram for explaining the radiation dose measuring apparatus of the charged particles according to an embodiment of the present invention

3A to 3C are reference views showing changes in water thickness according to the movement of the water phantom box.

4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of applying a radiation dose measuring apparatus as an imaging apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, embodiments of an apparatus for measuring radiation dose of a charged particle and an imaging device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention is applied to a proton or heavy particle treatment method, and uses a proton or a medium particle exhibiting a phenomenon known as a Bragg peak. That is, protons (hydrogen ions) and heavy particles (carbon ions) have a Bragg peak with a nearly similar curve, and thus can be applied to the treatment of not only protons but also heavy particles. However, in the present embodiment will be described limited to the proton treatment method.

The basic feature is that the proton beam can pre-adjust the energy of the proton beam output through the beam nozzle to treat only tumors of cancer cells. That is, the proton beam is irradiated from the beam nozzle, and a signal corresponding to the energy level of the irradiated proton beam is generated and notified to the outside, thereby providing a principle of checking how much the proton beam is to be used before treatment.

Next, the radiation dose measuring apparatus and the imaging apparatus will be described separately.

1 and 2 are the overall configuration to explain the radiation dose measuring apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figures 3a to 3c is a reference diagram showing a change in water thickness with the movement of the water phantom box.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a beam nozzle 10 is comprised. The beam nozzle 10 has the characteristics of a Bragg curve in the accelerator and converts the accelerated output proton beam into a depth dose curve suitable for treatment or the proton beam of a dotted circle reaches a large area. It is a device that includes components to disperse.

A dark box housing 100 is configured in front of the beam nozzle 10. The dark box housing 100 may be configured to prevent light from passing through at all in a sealed form. And the dark box housing 100 has a fixing bar 110 is installed on the upper side of the inside, the guide rail 120 is installed on the lower side.

The dark box housing 100 includes a water phantom box 130 positioned horizontally in the direction in which the proton beam is output from the beam nozzle 10. Water is filled in the water phantom box 130. The water phantom box 130 moves along the guide rail 120. To this end, a driving motor 140 for moving the water phantom box 130 is mounted in the dark box housing 100. The drive shaft of the drive motor is connected to one side of the water phantom box 130. In the figure, a gear group was used. However, it is obvious that the water phantom box 130 may be moved using other methods.

In the water phantom box 130, a transparent box 150 is provided with an outer surface surrounded by water. The transparent box 150 is positioned in the water phantom box 130 with its upper end hanging on the fixed bar 110. In other words, the transparent box 150 is fixed without changing its position.

Accordingly, the water phantom box 130 moves along the guide rail 120 according to the driving of the driving motor 140, but because the transparent box 150 is fixed to the fixing bar 110, the water phantom box 130 moves closer to the beam nozzle 10. The thickness of the water between one surface of the water phantom box 100 and one surface of the transparent box 150 is changed. Water thickness will be described with reference to FIG. 3 below.

The transparent box 150 is provided with a sensing element 152 for sensing a proton beam. The sensing element 152 can be applied to anything as long as it can sense the energy intensity of the proton beam. Therefore, the sensing element 152 may be provided on the inner surface of the transparent box 150 to which the proton beam emitted from the beam nozzle 10 first arrives. Or it may be a device mounted separately in the transparent box 150. Alternatively, the sensing element 152 may be a scintillation screen. If a scintillation plate is applied, it can sense the light emitted in proportion to the proton's energy as it passes through the scintillator. The scintillation plate should also be provided on the inner surface of the transparent box 150 where the proton beam emitted from the beam nozzle 10 first arrives.

The controller 160 is configured to control the driving of the driving motor 140 for the movement of the water phantom box 130 based on the sensing result of the proton beam. The controller 160 is located outside the dark box housing 100 and also stores information such as energy intensity of the proton beam for each thickness of the water as a result of the sensing. The controller 160 may be a PC or the like. In this case, the controller 160 should be spaced apart from the beam nozzle 10 and the dark box housing 100 by a predetermined distance in order to minimize the influence of the proton beam. Alternatively, a shielding plate may be provided therebetween.

Next, the operation of the radiation dose measuring apparatus configured as described above will be described. This will refer to FIG. 3, where FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the nozzle beam 10 and the dark box housing 100 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 when viewed in plan view. In addition, when the water phantom box 130 in the dark box housing 100 moves according to the driving force of the driving motor 140, the thickness change of the water according to the change in the gap difference with the transparent box 150 is illustrated.

As described above, the present invention measures the maximum range by measuring the proton beam energy that varies depending on the thickness of the water between one surface of the water phantom box 130 and one surface of the transparent box 150 located close to the beam nozzle 10. To measure. This will be measured while varying the water thickness continuously or discontinuously.

To this end, a user controls the driving of the driving motor 140 by manipulating the controller 160.

When the driving motor 140 is controlled, the water phantom box 130 is moved along the guide rail 120.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the water phantom box 130 is positioned closest to a predetermined position, for example, the beam nozzle 10, so that the distance between the water phantom box 130 and the transparent box 150 becomes d ₁ ( Proton beam is emitted from the beam nozzle 10 at the " first position. &Quot; When the water phantom box 130 is in the first position, the water thickness is the thickest.

When the proton beam is emitted, the emitted proton beam passes through one surface of the dark box housing 100 and water having a predetermined thickness to reach one surface of the transparent box 150. The arrived proton beam is provided to the sensing element 152 located on the inner surface of the transparent box 150. The sensing element 152 measures the energy intensity of the proton beam, and the result is transmitted to the controller 160.

The driving motor 140 is driven again to move the water phantom box 130. The moved position will be referred to as a point at which the distance between the water phantom box 130 and the transparent box 150 becomes d ₂ (hereinafter referred to as a “second position”) as shown in FIG. 3B. In the second position, the water thickness becomes thinner than the first position.

The proton beam is emitted when the water phantom box 130 is in the second position. As described above, the controller 160 receives the energy intensity of the proton beam measured by the sensing element 152 located on the inner surface of the transparent box 150.

The driving motor 140 is driven again to move the water phantom box 130. As described above, when the distance between the water phantom box 130 and the transparent box 150 becomes d ₃ (hereinafter referred to as 'third position') as shown in FIG. The sensing element 152 senses the energy intensity of the proton beam and allows the controller 160 to receive it.

As described above, the present embodiment may set the thickness of the water differently by moving the water phantom box 130, and measure the maximum range by substantially measuring the energy intensity of the proton beam. According to the measured energy intensity of the proton beam, the maximum distance of the proton beam can be adjusted by the thickness of the water so that the number of proton beams to be provided for each patient can be selected when treating the actual patient.

Meanwhile, in the above description, although the water phantom box 130 is set to be set in the first to third positions, it will be obvious that the water phantom box 130 can be further subdivided and moved.

In addition, after emitting the proton beam in a state where the water phantom box 130 is positioned at a predetermined position (ie, first to third positions), the energy intensity of the proton beam is measured, but is not necessarily limited thereto. That is, when the water phantom box 130 is continuously moved by the driving motor 140 while the proton beam is continuously emitted from the beam nozzle 10, the size / intensity of the proton beam may be sensed.

4 is a configuration diagram when a radiation dose measuring apparatus is applied to an imaging apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Here, in describing an imaging apparatus according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the same components as those of the radiation dose measuring apparatus described with reference to FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. That is, the dark box housing 100, the water phantom box 130, the driving motor 140, and the controller 160 in which the beam nozzle 10, the fixing bar 110, and the guide rail 120 are installed are connected to the radiation dose measuring device. The difference is the same, except that a mirror 156 configured in the transparent box 150 and a CCD camera 170 for acquiring image information are further added. In addition, in another embodiment, the flash plate installed in the transparent box 150 is indicated by reference numeral 154.

Referring to FIG. 4, a beam nozzle 10 is constructed.

The dark box housing 100 is configured in front of the beam nozzle 10.

The object 180 is positioned between the front of the beam nozzle 10 and the dark box housing 100.

The dark box housing 100 has a fixing bar 110 is installed on the upper side, the guide rail 120 is installed on the lower side.

The dark box housing 100 includes a water phantom box 130 positioned horizontally in the direction in which the proton beam is output from the beam nozzle 10. The water phantom box 130 moves along the guide rail 120 by the driving motor 140.

In the water phantom box 130, a transparent box 150 formed of a material through which light is allowed to pass through the outer surface is surrounded by water. The transparent box 150 is fixed in a state of being suspended from the fixing bar 110. Therefore, when the water phantom box 130 moves, the thickness of the water between one surface of the water phantom box 130 and one surface of the transparent box 150 that is located close to the beam nozzle 10 is variable. On the other hand, when the transparent box 150 is mounted in the water phantom box 130, it is preferable that the transparent box 150 is mounted at a position where there is little thickness of water in the direction of the CCD camera in order to measure the light of the flash plate reflected on the mirror. For example, in the drawing, the transparent box 150 is positioned to be in close contact with the bottom of the water phantom box 130.

A scintillation screen 154 is formed inside the transparent box 150. The scintillator plate 154 emits light in proportion to the intensity of energy passing through the proton beam emitted from the beam nozzle 10 after the remaining energy passes through the object described later. The flash plate 154 should be installed at one inner surface of the transparent box 150 through which the proton beam first arrives.

Inside the transparent box 150, a mirror 156 is configured to face the glare plate 154 while maintaining an angle of 45 ° with respect to the traveling direction of the proton beam. On the surface of the mirror 156, an image of light emitted in proportion to the energy intensity when passing through the flash plate 154 is formed. The angle between the flash plate 154 and the mirror 156 may vary depending on the position of the CCD camera 170.

The CCD camera 170 is mounted to capture an image formed on the mirror 156.

The imaging device configured as described above can selectively use the energy of the proton beam while changing the thickness of the water, thereby obtaining an image of the object 180.

That is, when the water phantom box 130 is moved by operating the driving motor 140 as described above, the thickness of the water in the water phantom box 130 is changed. When the proton beam having a predetermined energy is emitted from the nozzle beam 10 in this state, the proton beam passes through the object 180 and reaches the flash plate 154.

The scintillator plate 154 emits light while receiving energy of a proton beam represented by different values according to the shape and thickness of the object 180. This light is transmitted to the mirror 156 in the transparent box 150 as it is, the image is formed on the surface of the mirror 156 in proportion to the emitted light.

The image formed on the mirror 156 is captured by the CCD camera 170 located in the dark box housing 100 and transmitted to the controller 160.

As such, when the object 180 is positioned in front of the nozzle beam 10 while slightly changing the structure inside the transparent box 150 of the radiation dose measuring apparatus, an image of the object 180 may be captured according to the thickness of the water. will be. Image acquisition of the object 180 may provide information that accurately reflects the properties of the protons rather than the existing X-rays.

As described above, the present invention can measure the energy of the proton beam while varying the thickness of the water, so that it is possible to set the proton beam in an optimal condition suitable for treatment, and to accurately capture the properties of the proton. Able to know.

Although described with reference to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention as described above, this is merely exemplary, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention It will be apparent that other variations, modifications and equivalents are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Since the present invention can control the maximum reaching distance of the proton beam by the change in the thickness of the water, the radiation distribution using the proton can be accurately known before treatment, since the dose distribution of the proton beam to be irradiated with optimum conditions for each patient in the actual proton treatment can be accurately known before the treatment. It is expected to be able to improve the safety and efficacy of treatment.

Claims

A dark box housing in a sealed structure with the outside;

A fixed bar installed at an upper end of the dark box housing and a guide rail installed at a lower end thereof;

A water phantom box configured within the dark box housing and moving along the guide rail;

A transparent box connected to the fixed bar and fixed in the water phantom box; And

And a sensing element provided on one surface of the transparent box and configured to sense an intensity of radiation energy emitted from a nozzle beam in response to a change in thickness of water according to movement of the water phantom box.
The method of claim 1,

One surface of the transparent box is provided with the sensing element is the radiation dose measuring device of the charged particles that is the surface that the radiation first reaches.
The method of claim 2,

The radiation is a radiation dose measuring device of the charged particles which is a proton or a medium particle beam.
The method of claim 1,

The thickness of the water is the radiation dose measurement device of the charged particles corresponding to a change in the distance between one surface of the water phantom box and one surface of the transparent box provided with the sensing element.
A dark box housing in a sealed structure with the outside;

A water phantom box installed in the dark box housing and moved by a driving force;

A transparent box fixedly installed in the water phantom box;

A flash plate installed in one surface of the transparent box through which a proton beam first arrives;

A mirror installed at a predetermined angle with the flash plate; And

When the proton beam emitted toward the object located in the emission path of the beam nozzle passes through the object and the remaining energy passes through the flash plate, the light emitted in proportion to the intensity of the remaining energy is captured in the mirror. Imaging device comprising a camera.
The method of claim 5,

The image of the object is provided with a different value according to the change in the thickness of the water in the water phantom box.
The method of claim 6,

And the thickness of the water corresponds to a change in distance from the fixed transparent box as the water phantom box moves.