Systems and methods for selecting a radiation therapy treatment plan

A radiation therapy treatment system, comprising:

• a gantry having an aperture;
• a couch configured to support a patient, the couch movable in a linear direction within the aperture;
• a radiation module coupled to the gantry and rotatable around the couch, the radiation module configured to deliver a radiation beam toward the patient, the radiation beam having a beam weight corresponding to a radiation fluence, wherein the linear movement of the couch and the rotation of the radiation module create a helical path of radiation delivery, the helical path having a pitch;
• and
• a computer in communication with the gantry, the radiation module, and the couch, the computer including a controller configured to
• optimize the pitch of the radiation module based on clinical objectives for the patient,
• optimize the beam weight of the radiation beam based on clinical objectives for the patient,
• determine at least one of a treatment plan and a dose based on the optimized pitch and the optimized beam weight, and
• output the at least one of the treatment plan and the dose.

A method of selecting a radiation therapy treatment plan for a patient, the treatment plan implemented through a radiation delivery system including a gantry configured to rotate around a couch, the couch movable in a linear direction relative to the gantry, and a radiation module coupled to the gantry and configured to deliver a radiation beam, the beam having a beam weight corresponding to a radiation fluence, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a controller, an objective including at least one from a list including a desired dose, a desired dose distribution, and a dose constraint;
• receiving, by the controller, a first pitch and a first beam weight;
• adjusting, by the controller, the first pitch using a first geometry and the objective to determine an adjusted pitch;
• adjusting, by the controller, the first beam weight using a second geometry and the objective to determine an adjusted beam weight;
• translating, by the controller, the adjusted beam weight from the second geometry to the first geometry;
• and
• calculating, by the controller, an adjusted dose based on the adjusted pitch and the adjusted beam weight, the adjusted dose represented in the first geometry.