Charged particle cancer therapy patient constraint apparatus and method of use thereof

Abstract

A patient positioning/constraint apparatus and method of use thereof is described in combination with a charged particle cancer therapy system. In one embodiment, a patient is tilted about a longitudinal axis, such as rotation about a head-to-foot axis of the patient where the head-to-foot axis of the patient is horizontal. Optional side support constraints are optionally used to constrain radial movement of the patient on the tilted patient support. The side support constraints are optionally pre-formed to or coupled to a radially outer shape of an individual patient, such as the dexter or sinister side of the individual's head, arm, torso, hip, and/or leg. Patient tilt is optionally combined with rotation of the patient about a vertical axis, rotation of the entire patient about an axis not overlapped by the patient, and/or dynamic control of angles of incident charged particles directed by beamline magnets of the charged particle therapy system.

1 . A method for positioning a tumor of a patient for treatment with positively charged particles translating along a beam path, comprising the steps of:
 rotating a rotatable magnet, of a beamline and a charged particle therapy system, about a first vertical axis, said beam path comprising both a vertical vector component and a horizontal vector component from said rotatable magnet to the patient;   rotating the patient on a first rotational patient positioning platform, of a patient positioning system, at least one hundred eighty degrees about the first vertical axis; and   rotating the patient on a second rotational patient positioning platform about a second vertical axis, said second rotational patient positioning platform mounted to said first rotational patient positioning platform, said second vertical axis moving around the first vertical axis with rotation of said first rotational patient positioning platform; and   co-rotating said rotatable magnet and said first rotational patient positioning platform, wherein rotation of said rotatable magnet rotates the horizontal vector component: (1) around said first vertical axis and (2) toward said second vertical axis.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 rotating said first rotational patient positioning platform through at least one hundred eighty degrees about the first vertical axis, wherein the tumor does not cross the first vertical axis with rotation of said first rotational patient positioning platform through the at least one hundred eighty degrees.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
 at a first point in time, delivering the positively charged particles through said rotatable magnet along a first downward line comprising a first horizontal vector; and   at a second point in time, delivering the positively charged particles through said rotatable magnet along a second downward line comprising a second horizontal vector, the first horizontal vector and the second horizontal vector pointing in opposite directions.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the step of:
 tilting said patient along a longitudinal axis from head to toe of the patient.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , said step of tilting further comprising the steps of:
 at a first point in time orientating a first patient axis from said first vertical axis through a dexter side of the patient to a sinister side of the patient about perpendicular to a first axis of the positively charged particles from said beamline; and   at a second point in time orientating a second patient axis from the first vertical axis through a sinister side of the patient to a dexter side of the patient about perpendicular to a second axis of the positively charged particles from said beamline.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said step of tilting directs a dexter side of the patient toward the first vertical axis at a first rotational position of said first rotational patient positioning platform and directs a sinister side of the patient toward the first vertical axis at a second rotation position of said first rotational patient positioning system, the first vertical axis between said first rotational position and said second rotational position. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 tilting said patient along a longitudinal axis from head to toe of the patient.   
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for positioning a tumor of a patient for treatment with positively charged particles translating along a beam path, comprising:
 a rotatable magnet, of a beamline and a charged particle therapy system, said rotatable magnet rotatable about a first vertical axis, said beam path comprising both a vertical vector component and a horizontal vector component from said rotatable magnet to the patient during use; and   a patient positioning system, comprising:
 a first rotational patient positioning platform configured to rotate at least one hundred eighty degrees about the first vertical axis; and 
 a second rotational patient positioning platform mounted to said first rotational patient positioning platform, said second rotational patient positioning platform configured to: (1) rotate about a second vertical axis, said second vertical axis moving around the first vertical axis with rotation of said first rotational patient positioning platform, 
   wherein, during use, co-rotating said rotatable magnet and said first rotational patient positioning platform rotates the horizontal vector component: (1) around said first vertical axis and (2) toward said second vertical axis.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said first vertical axis does not intersect said second rotational patient positioning platform.