System and method for radiation therapy treatment planning using a memetic optimization algorithm

Abstract

A method for the optimization of radiation therapy treatment plans is disclosed. The disclosed method is equally-applicable to robotic radiosurgery as well as other types of radiosurgical delivery, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT). A population-based heuristic approximation is used to perform a global search, and subsequently, a deterministic local trajectory search is employed to further refine the initial solution.

1 . A method of radiotherapy treatment planning, comprising the steps of:
 determining a set of beam geometry and dosimetric parameters from a totality of beams;   calculating dose deposition coefficients responsive to the beam geometry and dosimetric parameters;   generating a set of points corresponding to a tissue volume, wherein each of said points corresponds to a place of interaction of a beam with a tissue volume;   identifying a solution subset of beams from the totality of beams;   evaluating the solution based on one of an objective, fitness, or cost function; and   activating a radiation source in accordance with the solution.   
     
     
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