Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. It is to be noted that in the direction orthogonal to the emission direction of the neutron beam N emitted from the neutron beam output section 12A and the X axis and the neutron beam output section 12A in the emission direction of the neutron beam N emitted from the neutron beam output section 12A The XYZ coordinate system in which the Z axis is taken in the vertical direction with respect to the axis and the floor surface is set (refer to FIG. 3), and X, Y, and Z are used to describe the positional relationship of the respective components.
≪ First Embodiment >
The neutron capture therapy system according to the first embodiment will be described. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a neutron capture therapy system 100 according to a first embodiment. The neutron capture therapy system 100 is a device for performing cancer therapy using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Neutron capture therapy is to treat cancer by irradiating a neutron beam to a patient (subject) to which boron ( 10 B) has been administered. 1, in the neutron capture therapy using the neutron capture therapy system 100, preparations such as restraining a patient to a treatment table (placement table) 80 are performed in a room of a preparation room 50A, The treatment table 80 is moved to the examination room 30A for each patient. In the room of the examination room 30A, the patient is irradiated with a neutron beam.
2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a neutron capture therapy system 100. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of a neutron capture therapy system 100. FIG. 2 and 3, the neutron capture therapy system 100 includes a neutron beam generating unit 10 for generating and irradiating a therapeutic neutron beam N, A preparation chamber 50A or 50B for preparation of irradiation, and a management chamber 70 for managing a work process.
The neutron beam generating unit 10 is configured to be able to irradiate the neutron beam N to the patient S by generating the neutron beam N in the room of the irradiation room 30A or 30B described later. The neutron beam generating section 10 includes an accelerator 11 (for example, a cyclotron), a neutron beam output section 12A for generating a neutron beam N from the charged particle beam P, And a beam transport path 13 for transporting the charged particle beam P to the neutron beam output section 12A or the neutron beam output section 12B. The accelerator 11 and the beam transport path 13 are arranged in a room of a Y-shaped charged particle generation room 10a (see Fig. 3). The charged particle generating chamber 10a is a closed space covered with a shielding wall W made of concrete.
The accelerator 11 accelerates a charged particle (for example, both of them) to generate a charged particle beam P (for example, a proton beam) and emits the charged particle beam. The accelerator 11 has the ability to generate a charged particle beam P having a beam radius of 40 mm and 60 kW (= 30 MeV x 2 mA), for example.
The beam transport path 13 selectively outputs the charged particle beam P to either the neutron beam output section 12A or the neutron beam output section 12B. The beam transport path 13 includes a first transport section 14 connected to the accelerator 11, a beam direction converter 15 for switching the traveling direction of the charged particle beam P, A second transport section 16A for transporting the neutron beam to the neutron beam output section 12A and a third transport section 16B for transporting the charged particle beam P to the neutron beam output section 12B. The second transport section 16A is connected to the beam direction converter 15 and the neutron beam output section 12A. The third transport section 16B is connected to the beam direction converter 15 and the neutron beam output section 12B. That is, the beam transport path 13 is branched to the second transport section 16A and the third transport section 16B in the beam direction switching device 15. [
The beam direction converter 15 controls the traveling direction of the charged particle beam P using a switching electromagnet. However, the beam direction converter 15 can guide the charged particle beam P to a beam dump (not shown) while deviating from the normal trajectory. According to the beam dump, the output of the charged particle beam P can be confirmed before treatment or the like. However, the neutron capture therapy system 100 may be configured not to include a beam dump. In this case, the beam direction converter 15 is not connected to the beam dump.
Each of the first transportation section 14, the second transportation section 16A and the third transportation section 16B includes a beam adjusting section 17 for the charged particle beam P, The beam adjusting unit 17 includes horizontal steering and horizontal and vertical steering for adjusting the axis of the charged particle beam P, quadrupole electromagnet for suppressing divergence of the charged particle beam P, And a four-directional slit for shaping the light beam. However, each of the first transport section 14, the second transport section 16A, and the third transport section 16B may be configured not to include the beam adjusting section 17. [
However, the second transport section 16A and the third transport section 16B may include a current monitor if necessary. The current monitor measures the current value (i.e., charge and irradiation dose rate) of the charged particle beam P irradiated on the neutron beam output section 12A and the neutron beam output section 12B in real time. The second transport section 16A and the third transport section 16B may include a charged particle beam scanning section 18 (see Fig. 4) as necessary. The charged particle beam scanning section 18 scans the charged particle beam P to control irradiation of the charged particle beam P with respect to the target T (see Fig. 4). The charged particle beam scanning section 18 controls irradiation positions of the charged particle beam P with respect to the target T, for example.
4 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the neutron beam output section 12A of the neutron capture therapy system 100. Fig. Here, the neutron beam output section 12A and the neutron beam output section 12B have the same configuration. Therefore, the neutron beam output section 12A will be described below, and the description of the neutron beam output section 12B will be omitted. 4, the neutron beam output section 12A includes a target T for generating a neutron beam N, a moderator 12a for decelerating the neutron beam N, a shielding body 12b, . However, the moderator 12a and the shield 12b constitute a moderator.
The target T is irradiated with the charged particle beam P to generate the neutron beam N. The target T is formed of, for example, beryllium Be, and has a disk shape of 160 mm in diameter.
The moderator 12a decelerates the neutron beam N emitted from the target T. The neutron beam N decelerated by the moderator 12a and reduced to a predetermined energy is also called a therapeutic neutron beam. The moderator 12a has, for example, a laminated structure composed of a plurality of different materials. The material of the moderator 12a is appropriately selected according to various conditions such as the energy of the charged particle beam P and the like. For example, when a beryllium target is used as the target T, the material of the moderator 12a is lead, iron, aluminum, or the like, Calcium fluoride can be used. When the beryllium target is used as the target T and the output from the accelerator 11 is 11 MeV and the beryllium target is used as the target T, the material of the moderator 12a may be heavy water (D 2 O) or fluoride lead. When the lithium target is used as the target T and the output from the accelerator 11 is 2.8 MeV and the lithium target is used as the target T, the material of the moderator 12a is fluent (trade name: aluminum, aluminum fluoride, A mixture of lithium fluoride). When the tungsten target is used as the target T and the output from the accelerator 11 is a quantum wire having an output of 50 MeV, the material of the moderator 12a may be iron or fluent.
The shield body 12b shields the neutron beam N and the radiation such as gamma rays generated by the generation of the neutron beam N from the outside so that the charged particle generating chamber 10a and the irradiation chamber 30A At least a part thereof is embedded in the wall W1 (see Fig.
In the neutron beam output section 12A, the charged particle beam P is irradiated to the target T, and thereby the neutron beam N is generated. The generated neutron beam N is decelerated in the moderator 12a. The neutron beam N emitted from the moderator 12a passes through the collimator 86 and is irradiated to the patient S on the treatment table 80. [ The neutron beam (N) contains a fast neutron beam, an extra neutron beam, and a thermally assisted beam, and also involves gamma rays. The lytic hyperglycemic effect in this case exerts an effective therapeutic effect mainly by nuclear reaction with the boron taken into the tumor in the body of the patient (S). However, a part of the extra neutron beam contained in the beam of the neutron beam N is also decelerated in the body of the patient S, and becomes a helical beam that exhibits the therapeutic effect. The thermogravimetric charger is a neutron beam with an energy of 0.5 eV or less.
[Investigation Room]
The examination rooms 30A and 30B will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the neutron capture therapy system 100 includes two irradiation chambers 30A and 30B. The irradiation chamber 30A is disposed on an extension line extending in the direction in which the second transport section 16A extends. The irradiation chamber 30B is disposed on an extension line extending in the direction in which the third transport section 16B extends. However, the neutron beam N may be taken out in a direction intersecting the direction in which the second transport section 16A or the third transport section 16B extends. In this case, the arrangement of the irradiation chamber 30A is not limited to the extension line extending in the direction in which the second transportation section 16A extends, but the irradiation chamber 30A can be arranged at a position corresponding to the extraction direction of the neutron beam N have. Likewise, the arrangement of the irradiation chamber 30B and the irradiation section 30B can be arranged at a position corresponding to the extraction direction of the neutron beam N, without being limited to the extension line extending in the direction in which the third transportation section 16B extends. Here, the examination room 30B has the same configuration as the examination room 30A. Therefore, in the following, the examination room 30A will be described, and the explanation of the examination room 30B will be omitted.
The examination room 30A is a room where the patient S is placed in the room so as to irradiate the patient S with the neutron beam N. [ The size of the irradiation room 30A is, for example, 3.5 m in width × 5 m in depth × 3 m in height. The examination room 30A has a shielded space 30S surrounded by the shielding wall W2 and a door D1 for allowing the treatment table 80 to go in and out.
As shown in Fig. 4, a cover (wall) 31 is provided between the irradiation chamber 30A and the shielding body 12b. The cover 31 constitutes a part of the side wall surface of the irradiation chamber 30A. The cover 31 is provided with a collimator mounting portion 31a serving as an output port of the neutron beam N. The collimator mounting portion 31a is an opening for fitting a collimator 86 described later.
As shown in Fig. 3, the shielding wall W2 forms a shielded space 30S in which radiation enters the room from the outside of the irradiation room 30A and radiation of the radiation from the room is suppressed . That is, the shielding wall W2 blocks radiation of the neutron beam N from the inside of the irradiation room 30A to the outside of the room. This shielding wall W2 may be formed integrally with the shielding wall W for partitioning the charged particle generating chamber 10a. The shield wall W2 may be a concrete wall having a thickness of 2 m or more. Between the charged particle generating chamber 10a and the irradiation chamber 30A is provided a wall W1 blocking the charged particle generating chamber 10a and the irradiation chamber 30A. This wall W1 constitutes a part of the shielding wall W.
The door D1 is for restraining the radiation in the shielding space 30S from being radiated into the communication chamber 40A. The communication room 40A will be described later. The door D1 is provided so as to close a doorway communicating with the communication room 40A. The door D1 is made of a radiation shielding member such as lead and has a predetermined thickness. In the door D1, a driving force is given by a motor or the like to move the rail surface provided in the room of the irradiation room 30A. Since the door D1 is a heavy object, a high torque motor, a speed reducer, or the like is used as a mechanism for driving the door D1. The door D1 may have a function of informing the worker of entering and leaving the inspection room 30A. For example, it may be possible to confirm the withdrawal of the operator from the examination room 30A by closing the door D1 in a state where the treatment table 80 is disposed in the room of the examination room 30A.
A camera 32 is disposed in the interior of the irradiation room 30A. The camera 32 is for observing the state of the patient S in the room of the examination room 30A. The camera 32 is disposed at a position where the patient S can be photographed in the room of the examination room 30A. The camera 32 need only acquire an image capable of confirming the state of the patient S without needing to acquire a high-precision image. As the camera 32, for example, a CCD camera can be used.
[Preparation room]
The preparation chambers 50A and 50B will be described. The neutron capture therapy system 100 has two preparation chambers 50A and 50B. The preparation chamber 50A is arranged so as to be spaced apart from the irradiation chamber 30A along the Y axis direction. Here, the preparation chamber 50B has the same configuration as the preparation chamber 50A. Therefore, the preparation chamber 50A will be described below, and the description of the preparation chamber 50B will be omitted.
The preparation chamber 50A is a chamber for performing a work required for irradiating the neutron beam N to the patient S in the irradiation chamber 30A. In the preparation chamber 50A, for example, the patient S is constrained to the treatment table 80 and the collimator 86 is aligned with the patient S (see FIG. 6). Therefore, the preparation chamber 50A can arrange the treatment table 80, and has a size such that the operator can easily perform preparation work around the treatment table 80. [
Between the preparation chamber 50A and the irradiation chamber 30A is provided a wall W3 blocking the preparation chamber 50A and the irradiation chamber 30A. The thickness of the wall W3 is, for example, 3.2 m. That is, the preparation chamber 50A and the irradiation chamber 30A are separated by 3.2 m along the Y-axis direction.
The wall W3 is provided with a communication chamber 40A communicating from the preparation chamber 50A to the irradiation chamber 30A. The liaison chamber 40A is a chamber for moving the treatment table 80 bound by the patient S between the preparation chamber 50A and the irradiation chamber 30A. The communication room 40A has a width at which the treatment table 80 can pass. Further, the contact chamber 40A has a height at which the operator can walk and walk. Therefore, the size of the contact chamber 40A is, for example, 1.5 m width x 3.2 m depth x 2.0 m height. A door D2 is disposed between the preparation room 50A and the communication room 40A. The contact chamber 40B is provided on the wall W3 that blocks the preparation chamber 50B and the irradiation chamber 30B. The contact chamber 40B has the same configuration as the contact chamber 40A.
However, the preparation chambers 50A and 50B may be shielded spaces surrounded by the shielding wall W like the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B. The preparation chambers 50A and 50B may be spaces that are not surrounded by the shielding wall W.
[Management Room]
The neutron capture therapy system 100 includes one management chamber 70. The management room 70 is a room for managing the whole process performed using the neutron capture therapy system 100. [ At least one manager enters the management room 70 and manages the entire process by using the control device 71 for operating the monitoring device and the neutron beam generator 10 disposed in the room of the management room 70 . For example, the administrator who has entered the management room 70 visually confirms the preparatory work situation in the preparation rooms 50A and 50B from the room of the management room 70. [ The manager who has entered the management room 70 operates the control device 71 to set the target T to the target T corresponding to the irradiation room 30A to which the neutron beam N is to be irradiated, P to be irradiated with the beam. The administrator who has entered the management room 70 controls the control device 71 to start and stop the irradiation of the neutron beam N. [ However, in the neutron capture therapy, various preparations (for example, PET examination, administration of boron ( 10B ), etc.) are performed on the patient S before entering the preparation chambers 50A and 50B. In the management room 70, the entire process of the neutron capture therapy including the irradiation treatment by the neutron capture therapy system 100 may be managed by managing the process of this advance preparation.
The management chamber 70 is disposed between the preparation chamber 50A and the preparation chamber 50B so as to be adjacent to the two preparation chambers 50A and 50B. The management chamber 70 is adjacent to the preparation chamber 50A at one corner and adjacent to the preparation chamber 50B at the other corner. Between the management chamber 70 and the preparation chamber 50A, a window 72A for visually observing the interior of the preparation chamber 50A is disposed. Between the management chamber 70 and the preparation chamber 50B, a window 72B for viewing the interior of the preparation chamber 50B with the naked eye is disposed. A monitor 73 for displaying an image of a camera 32 provided in a room of the inspection room 30A or 30B is disposed in the management room 70. [ The administrator can confirm the situation of the patient S in the room of the examination room 30A by the camera image displayed on the monitor 73. [
[Treatment]
The treatment zone (placement zone) 80 will be described. 5 is a perspective view showing the treatment zone 80 of the neutron capture therapy system 100. FIG. The treatment table 80 is a mount for neutron capture therapy. The treatment table 80 is for restricting the patient S in a predetermined posture and for moving the posture from the preparation chamber 50A to the irradiation chamber 30A while restraining the posture. 5, the treatment table 80 includes a toe portion 81, a driving portion 82 for moving the toe portion 81 on the floor surface, a top plate A robot arm 84 for relatively moving the top plate 83 relative to the toe portion 81, a collimator 86 for defining an irradiation field of the neutron beam N, And a collimator fixing portion 87 for fixing the pressing portion 86 to the toe portion 81.
The toe portion 81 constitutes the base portion of the treatment table 80. The toe portion 81 has a base portion 81a and a support portion 81b disposed on the base portion 81a. The base portion 81a has a rectangular outer shape including a first side 81c and a second side 81d as seen in plan view. For example, the first side 81c is longer than the second side 81d. The length of at least one of the first side 81c or the second side 81d of the base portion 81a is smaller than the width of the communication chambers 40A and 40B. The support portion 81b has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The lower surface of the support portion 81b is fixed to the upper surface of the base portion 81a. On the upper surface of the support portion 81b, a robot arm 84 and a collimator fixing portion 87 are arranged.
The driving portion 82 is provided on the lower surface side of the base portion 81a of the toe portion 81. [ The driving unit 82 supports all the weights of the toe base 81, the robot arm 84, the top plate 83, the collimator 86, the collimator fixing unit 87 and the patient S, So that it can move on the plane. The driving unit 82 can use, for example, four wheels. To these wheels, a driving force for moving on the floor surface is given by a motor or the like.
The robot arm 84 is for relatively moving the top plate 83 relative to the toe portion 81. That is, the robot arm 84 is for relatively moving the patient S constrained on the top plate 83 with respect to the collimator 86 fixed to the toe portion 81. The height from the floor surface to the top plate 83 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the height is set to such a level that the patient S on the top plate 83 can be easily restrained. The robot arm 84 includes an elevating portion 84a disposed on the upper surface side of the toe portion 81 and a first arm 82a having one end rotatable about the vertical rotating axis A1 with respect to the elevating portion 84a And a second arm 84c whose one end is rotatable about the vertical rotation axis A2 with respect to the other end side of the first arm 84b. That is, the robot arm 84 has two vertical rotation axes A1 and A2 which are separated from each other in the horizontal direction.
The top plate 83 has a plate-like outer shape having a longitudinal direction. The top plate 83 is configured to be adjustable in position with respect to the toe portion 81. The length of the top plate 83 in the longitudinal direction is a length that allows the patient S to lie down, for example, 2 m in length. The one end side of the top plate 83 is rotatably mounted on the other end side of the second arm 84c around the vertical axis A3. The top plate 83 is provided with a restricting member (not shown) for fixing the body of the patient S. However, the restricting portion may be mounted on the top plate 83. Fig.
According to this robot arm 84, the first arm 84b is rotated around the vertical rotation axis A1 with respect to the elevation portion 84a, and the second arm 84c is rotated with respect to the first arm 84b, The top plate 83 can be moved to a desired position within the XY plane by rotating the top plate 83 around the second arm 84 and rotating the top plate 83 around the vertical rotation axis A3 with respect to the second arm 84c. In addition, the body of the patient S can be rotated around the vertical axis with respect to the irradiation direction of the neutron beam N. [ The top plate 83 can be moved in the Z-axis direction by vertically moving the lifting portion 84a with respect to the supporting portion 81b. Thus, with this robot arm 84, the degree of freedom of the posture of the patient S with respect to the collimator 86 fixed to the toe portion 81 can be increased.
The collimator 86 is for regulating the irradiation range of the neutron beam N. The collimator 86 is provided with, for example, a circular opening 86a for defining an irradiation range. When the treatment table 80 is placed in the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B and the neutron beam N is irradiated through the center of the irradiation range defined by the collimator 86 (the center of the opening 86a) An imaginary axis extending in the upstream and downstream directions of the neutron line N is referred to as an " irradiation center axis ", and the symbol " C " The collimator 86 is, for example, in the form of a rectangular flat plate. The outer shape of the collimator 86 corresponds to the inner shape of the collimator mounting portion 31a in the irradiation chamber 30A.
The collimator fixing portion 87 is fixed to the upper surface of the support portion 81b of the toe portion 81. [ The collimator fixing portion 87 is for keeping the collimator 86 at a fixed position with respect to the toe portion 81. [ The collimator fixing portion 87 has a horizontal piece 87a and an upstanding piece 87b, and has a substantially L-shaped configuration. One end of the horizontal piece 87a is fixed to the supporting portion 81b and the other end of the horizontal piece 87a protrudes from the side 81e of the supporting portion 81b in the direction along the X axis. The width of the horizontal piece 87a in the horizontal direction (Y axis) is smaller than the width of the toe portion 81 in the horizontal direction (Y axis). The standing piece 87b has one end fixed to the other end of the horizontal piece 87a and a collimator 86 mounted on the other end of the upper end extending in the upward direction.
The rising portion 87b is fixed to the horizontal piece 87a protruding in the direction along the X axis from the side 81e of the toe portion 81. Therefore, the collimator 86 is provided on the side surface of the toe portion 81 81e in the horizontal direction. By holding the collimator 86 at such a position, when the collimator 86 is mounted on the collimator mounting portion 31a of the cover 31, the toe portion 81 and the top plate 83 interfere with the cover 31 Can be suppressed.
The horizontal width H1 of the collimator fixing portion 87 is smaller than the width H2 of the toe portion 81 in the horizontal direction. Here, the horizontal width H1 of the collimator fixing portion 87 refers to the maximum width of the collimator fixing portion 87 in the direction along the Y-axis. That is, the width H1 is the maximum width in the direction (X axis) of the irradiation central axis C and in the direction (Y axis) perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z axis). The horizontal width H2 of the toe portion 81 refers to the maximum width of the toe portion 81 in the direction along the Y-axis. That is, the width H2 is the length of the first side 81c of the base portion 81a. The horizontal width H3 of the collimator 86 is smaller than the width H2 of the toe portion 81 in the horizontal direction. Here, the horizontal width H3 of the collimator 86 refers to the maximum width of the collimator 86 in the direction along the Y-axis.
The treatment table 80 is provided with a collimator 86 fixed to the toe base 81 and a top plate 83 which is relatively movable with respect to the toe base 81. [ This allows the posture of the patient S restrained on the top plate 83 to be maintained at a predetermined position with respect to the opening 86a of the collimator 86. [ Therefore, it is possible to irradiate the neutron beam N passing through the opening 86a of the collimator 86 to the predetermined irradiation target in the patient S.
Since the treatment section 80 is provided with the driving section 82, the treatment section 80 can be moved while maintaining the attitude of the patient S with respect to the collimator 86. [ Therefore, the irradiation target in the patient S and the alignment of the irradiation central axis C of the collimator 86 are not performed in the irradiation chamber 30A but are performed in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B in advance It becomes possible. In addition, by moving the treatment table 80 out of the examination room 30A and performing maintenance of the treatment table 80, it is possible to reduce the working time required for maintenance of the treatment table 80 in a place having a large radiation dose have.
Since the maximum width H1 of the collimator fixing portion 87 is equal to or smaller than the maximum width H2 of the toe portion 81 in the treatment table 80, The width required for the band 80 to pass is determined by the maximum width H2 of the toe portion 81. [ Therefore, even when an auxiliary facility is provided at a place where the treatment table 80 passes, it is possible to suppress the enlargement of the auxiliary facility for passing the treatment table 80. [ In other words, it is possible to suppress the expansion of the width of the contact rooms 40A, 40B and to suppress the enlargement of the additional facilities such as the doors D1 and D2. In addition, since the door D1 and the door D2 are prevented from being enlarged, safety in opening and closing the door D1 and the door D2 can be enhanced, It is possible to simplify the drive mechanism. In addition, since the door D1 and the door D2 are prevented from being enlarged and the drive mechanism for the door D1 and the door D2 is simplified, the increase in the construction cost of the entire neutron capture therapy system 100 can be suppressed .
The collimator 86 fixed to the collimator fixing portion 87 is positioned on the side of the toe portion 81 so that the collimator fixing portion 87 protrudes from the side surface 81e of the toe portion 81. Therefore, And held at a position projected from the side surface 81e. Therefore, when the collimator 86 is mounted on the collimator mounting portion 31a of the cover 31, the collimator 86 does not interfere with the cover 31, As shown in Fig.
The treatment table 80 rotates the top plate 83 about the rotation axis A1, A2, and A3 with respect to the toe base 81 to align the longitudinal direction of the top plate 83 with the movement direction of the treatment table 80 . Thus, the size of the entrance port or the like through which the treatment table 80 passes is defined by the size of the toe portion 81, not the length in the longitudinal direction of the top plate 83. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the enlargement of the entrance port or the like through which the treatment table 80 passes. The width of the contact chambers 40A and 40B to which the treatment table 80 moves is defined by the first side 81c or the second side 81d of the toe 81 of the treatment table 80 do.
[Treatment Flow]
The flow of treatment using the neutron capture therapy system 100 will be described. First, a predetermined preparation is made for the patient S before entering the neutron capture therapy system 100. Subsequently, the patient S and the operator are led to the preparation chamber 50A, and the patient S is allowed to lie on the top plate 83. Then, the worker restrains the body of the patient S with respect to the top plate 83 by using the restraining opening. Next, the patient S and the collimator 86 are aligned with each other. More specifically, the irradiation target in the patient S and the irradiation central axis C of the collimator 86 are aligned.
Fig. 6 is a view for explaining the alignment of the patient S and the collimator 86. Fig. 6A and 6B, immediately after the patient S is restrained on the top plate 83, the irradiation target R and the irradiation central axis C are arranged in the YZ plane In some cases. In this description, it is assumed that the irradiation target R is shifted by Yd in the Y-axis direction with respect to the irradiation central axis C, and is shifted by Zd in the Z-axis direction. 6 (c) and 6 (d), the operator drives the elevating portion 84a of the robot arm 84 to move the top plate 83 by a distance Zd in the Z-axis direction The first arm 84b and the second arm 84c of the robot arm 84 are driven to move the top plate 83 in the Y axis direction by a distance Yd. With this movement, the irradiation target R can be aligned on the irradiation central axis C. However, the robot arm 84 may be driven to adjust the distance along the X-axis direction from the collimator 86 to the irradiation target R, if necessary. The irradiation direction of the neutron beam N with respect to the patient S may be adjusted by rotating the robot arm 84 around the vertical rotation axes A1 to A3 as necessary. The work situation in the interior of the preparation room 50A is monitored by an administrator who is present in the adjacent management room 70. [
As shown in Fig. 3, after the alignment of the patient S and the collimator 86 is completed, the treatment table 80 is moved to the irradiation room 30A. At this time, the administrator of the management room 70 may decide whether or not to enter the inspection room 30A. For example, the worker reports to the manager that the work in the preparation room 50A is completed. The manager who has received the report opens the door D2 blocking the preparation room 50A and the communication room 40A when it is judged that the entrance to the examination room 30A is possible. Then, the operator operates the drive unit 82 of the treatment table 80 to move the treatment table 80 to the contact chamber 40A. At this time, the operator stuck to the treatment table 80 and moves to the contact room 40A together with the treatment table 80. [
When the worker and the therapy table 80 enter the communication room 40A, the manager closes the door D2. After closing, the manager opens the door D1 blocking the communication room 40A and the examination room 30A. However, the order of opening and closing the doors D1 and D2 is not limited to this order. For example, the door D1 and the door D2 may be opened at the same time. The operator operates the driving unit 82 of the treatment table 80 to move the treatment table 80 to the room of the examination room 30A and also moves the operator himself to the room of the examination room 30A. The work performed in the interior of the inspection room 30A is mainly an operation of mounting the collimator 86 on the collimator mounting portion 31a provided on the cover 31 (see FIG. When the installation of the collimator 86 is completed, the operator moves to the communication room 40A and closes the door D1 by using a switch provided in the room of the communication room 40A. By this closing, it is reported to the management room that the worker withdraws from the inspection room 30A.
After the administrator of the management room 70 visually confirms that the worker has retreated to the preparation room 50A, the manager operates the control device 71 to start the irradiation of the neutron beam N. [ The irradiation time is, for example, about one hour. The situation of the patient S under investigation is monitored by using the monitor 73 of the management room 70 with the image of the camera 32 provided in the room of the examination room 30A. However, when the manager confirms an abnormality in the patient S under treatment, it is judged to suspend the investigation.
When the irradiation time previously input to the control device 71 has elapsed, the control device 71 automatically stops irradiation of the neutron beam N. [ Then, the operator enters the room of the examination room 30A and moves the treatment table 80 to the preparation room 50A. The fixation of the patient S by the restraining opening is released in the room of the preparation room 50A and the patient S is guided to the outside of the preparation room 50A. Thus, the neutron capture therapy using the neutron capture therapy system 100 is completed.
According to the neutron capture therapy system 100, the neutron beam N can be selectively irradiated to each of the plurality of irradiation chambers 30A and 30B. According to the neutron capture therapy system 100, preparatory work for irradiating the neutron beam N to the patient S is performed in each of the preparation chambers 50A and 50B. Therefore, in the neutron capture system 100, The time required for the preparatory work in this case is shortened. Therefore, the ratio of the irradiation time of the neutron beam N at the time when the patient S is disposed in the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B is increased, so that the utilization efficiency of the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B can be increased. In addition, the neutron capture therapy has a longer irradiation time than the radiation treatment such as X-ray treatment or quantum ray treatment. Thereby, in the neutron capture therapy system 100, for example, by performing preparatory work in the other irradiation room 30B or the preparation chamber 50B in parallel with the treatment in one irradiation chamber 30A Efficiency greatly contributes to improvement of the operation efficiency of the entire system. According to the neutron capture therapy system 100, since the control for irradiating the neutron beam N to the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B is performed in one management chamber 70, the adjustment of the neutron beam occupation can be efficiently performed , The utilization efficiency of the accelerator 11 can be increased. Therefore, according to the neutron capture therapy system 100, the use efficiency of the accelerator 11 can be increased while increasing the utilization efficiency of the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B, and therefore, the operation efficiency of the entire system can be increased.
The neutron capture therapy system 100 has windows 72A and 72B for observing the room of the preparation room 50A and 50B from the management room 70. [ According to this configuration, since the rooms of the preparation chambers 50A and 50B can be observed from the management room 70, it is possible to control the entrance and exit of the patient S to and from the preparation chambers 50A and 50B of the preparation chambers 50A and 50B, The progress of the preparatory work in the room can be grasped. Therefore, the operation efficiency of the neutron capture therapy system 100 can be further increased.
The neutron capture therapy system 100 further includes a camera 32 for observing the room of the examination room 30A or 30B from the management room 70. [ According to this configuration, since the rooms of the examination rooms 30A and 30B can be observed from the management room 70 via the camera 32, the situation of the patient S in the examination rooms 30A and 30B can be . Thus, the safety of the neutron capture therapy system 100 can be enhanced.
The neutron capture therapy system 100 can perform the preparation work for irradiating the neutron beam N to the patient S because the treatment table 80 can move between the room and the outside of the irradiation room 30A and 30B , And can be performed outdoors in the irradiation rooms 30A and 30B after moving the treatment table 80 out of the irradiation rooms 30A and 30B. Therefore, since a part of preparatory work in the rooms 30A and 30B can be performed outside the examination rooms 30A and 30B, the time required for the preparatory work in the examination rooms 30A and 30B Can be shortened.
The neutron capture therapy system 100 irradiates the target T with the charged particle beam P generated by the accelerator 11 to generate neutrons. With the neutron beam generating unit 10, the neutron capture therapy system 100 can be downsized.
In the neutron capture therapy system of the present invention, the number of preparation chambers and examination chambers is not limited to two. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a neutron capture therapy system 101 according to a modification. As shown in Fig. 7, the neutron capture therapy system 101 may include three irradiation chambers 30A, 30B, and 30C and three preparation chambers 50A, 50B, and 50C. In this case, the neutron beam generating section 10 includes three neutron beam output sections 12A, 12B, and 12C corresponding to the irradiation chambers 30A, 30B, and 30C, respectively. The beam transport path 13 includes a second transport section 16A for transporting the charged particle beam P to the neutron beam output section 12A and a second transport section 16B for transporting the charged particle beam P to the neutron beam output section 12B A third transport section 16B and a fourth transport section 16C for transporting the charged particle beam P to the neutron beam output section 12C. Further, the management chamber 70 is disposed adjacent to all the preparation chambers 50A, 50B, and 50C. A window 72A is provided between the management chamber 70 and the preparation chamber 50A and a window 72B is provided between the management chamber 70 and the preparation chamber 50B and the control chamber 70 and the preparation chamber 50C A window 72C is provided.
The neutron capture therapy system 101 according to the modification example can exhibit the same effect as the neutron capture therapy system 100. [ That is, since the control for selectively irradiating the neutron beam N to the irradiation chambers 30A, 30B, and 30C is performed in one management chamber 70, The utilization efficiency is increased. Therefore, the operation efficiency of the entire system can be increased.
≪ Second Embodiment >
The neutron capture therapy system according to the second embodiment will be described. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of the neutron capture therapy system 102 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, the neutron capture therapy system 102 is different from the neutron capture therapy system according to the first embodiment in that the neutron capture therapy system 102 is not provided with a preparation chamber and the management chamber 70 is disposed adjacent to the two irradiation chambers 30A and 30B. Which is different from the neutron capture therapy system 100 according to FIG. Since the rest of the configuration is the same as that of the neutron capture therapy system 100, a duplicate description will be omitted.
The neutron capture therapy system 100 according to the first embodiment is configured such that the restraint of the patient S to the treatment table 80 and the restraint of the collision of the collimator 86 and the patient S in the room of the preparation chambers 50A, The alignment was performed. Such an operation may be performed at a place different from the preparation chambers 50A and 50B provided in the inspection chambers 30A and 30B. In the neutron capture therapy system 102 according to the second embodiment, the treatment table 80 is taken out from the room of the examination room 30A, 30B surrounded by the shielding wall W to the outside of the room not surrounded by the shielding wall W Thereafter, it is moved to a predetermined place. Then, at a predetermined position, preparations such as restraint of the patient S to the treatment table 80 and alignment of the collimator 86 and the patient S are performed. Therefore, the neutron capture therapy system 102 can be configured without the preparation chambers 50A and 50B.
Since the control for irradiating the neutron beam N to the irradiation chamber 30A or the irradiation chamber 30B is carried out in one management chamber 70 in the neutron capture therapy system 102, It is possible to increase the utilization efficiency of the accelerator 11 by making the adjustment more efficient. Therefore, with the neutron capture therapy system 102, the utilization efficiency of the accelerator 11 is increased, and therefore, the operation efficiency of the entire system can be increased.
9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a neutron capture therapy system 103 according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 9, the neutron capture therapy system 103 may include three irradiation chambers 30A, 30B, and 30C. In this case, the neutron beam generating section 10 includes three neutron beam output sections 12A, 12B, and 12C corresponding to the irradiation chambers 30A, 30B, and 30C, respectively. Further, the management chamber 70 is disposed adjacent to all the irradiation chambers 30A, 30B, and 30C.
The neutron capture therapy system 103 can exhibit the same effect as the neutron capture therapy system 102. [ That is, since the control for selectively irradiating the neutron beam N to the irradiation chambers 30A, 30B, and 30C is performed in one management chamber 70, The utilization efficiency is increased. Therefore, the operation efficiency of the entire system can be increased.
≪ Third Embodiment >
The neutron capture therapy system according to the third embodiment will be described. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the neutron capture therapy system 104 according to the third embodiment. 11 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of a neutron capture therapy system 104. FIG. 10 and 11, in the neutron capture therapy system 104, the collimator 86 is not attached to the treatment table 80, and the collimator 86 is provided in the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B Point and a dummy collimator 51 are provided in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B in the neutron capture therapy system 100 according to the first embodiment. In addition to the above differences, the following will describe in detail a different configuration from the neutron capture therapy system 100 according to the first embodiment.
The inspection chambers 30A and 30B have a collimator 86 mounted on the collimator mounting portion 31a of the cover 31. [ The examination rooms 30A and 30B have reference portions (first position defining portions) 33 for positioning the treatment table 80 at predetermined positions in the examination rooms 30A and 30B. It is possible to arrange the treatment table 80 at the same position by aligning the mark provided on the reference portion 33 and the predetermined position of the treatment table 80. [ That is, the position of the treatment table 80 with respect to the collimator 86 can be made constant for each irradiation of the neutron beam N.
The preparation chambers 50A and 50B have a dummy collimator (label) 51. The dummy collimator 51 is a mark for alignment of the patient S. The dummy collimator 51 has an opening having substantially the same shape as the opening 86a of the collimator 86 of the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B. The preparation chambers 50A and 50B have a reference portion (second position defining portion) 52 for positioning the treatment table 80 at a predetermined position in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B. By aligning the mark provided on the reference portion 52 and the predetermined position of the treatment table 80, the treatment table 80 can be always disposed at the same position. However, the dummy collimator 51 may not be a three-dimensional object simulating the shape of the collimator 86, or may be a figure that shows the shape of the collimator 86 as seen from the plane. For example, it may be a projection of a collimator 86 projected on a screen, or an image of a collimator 86 displayed on a monitor. The dummy collimator 51 may be a mark drawn on the wall surface of the preparation chamber 50A.
The relationship between the collimator 86 and the reference portion 33 in the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B and the relationship between the dummy collimator 51 and the reference portion 52 in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B Explain. It is considered that the positional relationship of the reference portion 52 with respect to the dummy collimator 51 is the same as the positional relationship of the reference portion 33 with respect to the collimator 86. [ That is, in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B of the neutron capture therapy system 104, the positional relationship between the collimator 86 and the treatment table 80 in the examination chambers 30A and 30B can be simulated. This allows alignment of the patient S with respect to the dummy collimator 51 in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B and positioning of the patient S with respect to the collimator 86 in the examination chambers 30A and 30B Performing alignment has the same meaning.
The positioning of the patient S and the collimator 86 in the neutron capture therapy system 104 will be further described. In the following description, the operation in the inspection room 30A and the preparation room 50A will be described as an example.
12 is a view for explaining the alignment of the patient S and the collimator 86. Fig. First, the collimator 86 is disposed in the treatment table 80, and the dummy collimator 51 is disposed at the dummy collimator mounting position of the preparation chamber 50A. The collimator 86 and the dummy collimator 51 are prepared for each patient S. Next, as shown in Figs. 12 (a) and 12 (b), the treatment table 80 is positioned using the reference portions 52a and 52b, and the treatment table 80 is fixed. Here, the reference portion 52a defines the position of the treatment table 80 in the X-axis direction. The reference portion 52b defines the position of the treatment table 80 in the Y-axis direction.
Next, the patient S is restrained on the top plate 83. The position of the irradiation target R of the patient S with respect to the irradiation central axis C of the dummy collimator 51 is shifted. 12 (c) and 12 (d), by moving the top plate 83 in the direction along the Z axis by operating the elevating portion 84a of the treatment table 80, (C) and the irradiation target R of the patient (S) in the Z-axis direction. Subsequently, the robot arm 84 of the treatment table 80 is operated to move the top plate 83 in the direction along the XY plane so that the X axis of the irradiation center axis C and the irradiation target R of the patient S Adjust the position of the direction.
When alignment in the preparation chamber 50A is completed, the treatment table 80 is moved to the irradiation chamber 30A. Then, the treatment table 80 is fixed after positioning by using the reference portions 33a and 33b. Here, the reference portion 33a defines the position of the treatment table 80 in the X-axis direction. The reference portion 33b defines the position of the treatment table 80 in the Y-axis direction. The positional relationship between the dummy collimator 51 adjusted by the preparation chamber 50A and the patient S is reproduced in the room of the examination room 30A by the positioning using the reference portions 33a and 33b. That is, the state in which the irradiation target R of the patient S is aligned with the position of the irradiation center axis C of the collimator 86 is reproduced. As described above, according to the neutron capture therapy system 104, the position of the irradiation center axis C of the collimator 86 can be accurately measured only by the positioning operation using the reference portion 33 in the examination room 30A, The irradiation target R of the target S can be brought into the aligned state. Therefore, the working time in the room of the irradiation room 30A can be shortened.
According to the neutron capture therapy system 104, the same effects as those of the neutron capture therapy system 100 according to the first embodiment can be obtained. In other words, since the neutron capture therapy system 104 can perform a part of the operations in the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B in advance, the use efficiency of the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B can be increased . Since the control for selectively irradiating the neutron beam N to the irradiation chambers 30A, 30B and 30C is carried out in one management chamber 70, The utilization efficiency is increased. Therefore, the operation efficiency of the entire system can be increased.
The neutron capture therapy system 104 aligns the patient S with respect to the dummy collimator 51 in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B to align the patient S in the examination chambers 30A and 30B Can be simulated. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time for positioning the patient S in the irradiation rooms 30A, 30B.
According to the neutron capture therapy system 104, after the patient S is placed on the treatment table 80 positioned by the reference portions 52a and 52b in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B, the dummy collimator 51 ) Of the patient (S). When the position of the treatment table 80 is determined by the reference portions 33a and 33b by moving the treatment table 80 on which the patient S is placed to the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B, And the patient S are aligned with each other. Therefore, the alignment of the collimator 86 and the patient S in the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B can be simulated in the preparation chambers 50A and 50B. Therefore, in the irradiation chambers 30A and 30B, It is possible to further shorten the time for the positioning operation of the patient S of the patient.
The neutron capture therapy system of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, numerical values such as specific dimensions, distances, etc. of the constituent elements illustrated in the above embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the explanation, and the present invention is not limited thereto.
The treatment table 80 may be a chair having a seat portion on which the patient S sits, a backrest provided on the seat portion, and a head support portion provided on the upper end of the backrest instead of the top plate 83.
For example, the neutron capture therapy system may use the neutron beam N emitted directly from the reactor, not using the neutron beam N generated by the accelerator 11 and the target T. That is, the neutron beam generating unit 10 may be constituted by a reactor. 13 is a diagram showing a neutron capture therapy system 105 according to a modification. As shown in FIG. 13, in the neutron capture therapy system 105, the neutron beam generating unit 10 includes a neutron beam generating unit 10 instead of the configuration having the accelerator 11, the beam transport path 13 and the neutron beam output units 12A and 12B , And a reactor 91. [ And the neutron beam N can be emitted directly from the reactor 91. [ According to the neutron beam generating unit 10 having the reactor 91, the power consumption required for operating the neutron capture therapy system can be suppressed. However, according to the configuration in which the neutron beam N is generated by using the accelerator 11 and the target T as in the first to third embodiments, the neutron beam generating unit 10 having the neutron beam generating unit 10 having the reactor 91 So that it can be downsized.
The neutron beam generating unit 10 may use a radioactive isotope or a small nuclear fusion reactor that emits a neutron beam as a neutron source.
Industrial availability
According to the neutron capture therapy system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the preparation time in the examination room can be shortened.
