COMPUTER CONTROLLED COLLIMATORS FOR RADIATION THERAPY

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA FOR SUCCESSFUL RADIATION THERAPY IS THE ABILITY TO DELIVER THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE TUMOR DOSE AND MINIMIZE THE DOSE TO NORMAL TISSUE. MOST TECHNIQUES CURRENTLY USED FOR SHAPING RADIATION THERAPY BEAMS INVOLVE THE FABRICATION OF CUSTOM MADE, DENSE ALLOY BLOCKS. WHILE THESE BLOCKS HAVE PROVEN TO BE RELATIVELY EFFECTIVE, THEIR CONSTRUCTION IS VERY LABOR INTENSIVE AND EXPENSIVE. THEY ARE ALSO POORLY SUITED FOR DYNAMIC RADIATION THERAPY OR WHEN MORE THAN A FEW TREATMENT PORTALS ARE DESIRED. DUE TO RECENT ADVANCES IN COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS, IT SHOULD NOW BE FEASIBLE TO DEVELOP A COMPUTER CONTROLLED, MULTILEAF COLLIMATOR FOR USE IN BOTH STATIC AND DYNAMIC RADIATION THERAPY. SUCH A DEVICE COULD BE MADE TO FIT INTO THE BRACKETS CURRENTLY USED TO HOLD THE ALLOY BLOCKS AND THUS BE COMPATIBLE WITH EXISTING MACHINES AND PROTOCOLS. RMD, INC., IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MASSACHUSSETS GENERAL HOSPITAL, PROPOSES TO DO THE RESEARCH NECESSARY TO DEVELOP THIS NEW DEVICE. SUCH A SYSTEM SHOULD PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF RADIATION THERAPY BY PROVIDING MORE EFFECTIVE SHAPING OF RADIATION THERAPY PORTALS AND BY MAKING POSSIBLE THE SHAPING OF THE PORTALS DURING ARC THERAPY.