Systems and methods for scintillation camera-based motion tracking in radiotherapy

A method for emission guided radiation therapy (EGRT), the method comprising:

• detecting, by a scintillation camera directed at a region of interest (ROI) of a subject who is receiving a radiation treatment, single photons from annihilation photon pairs produced by interactions between the subject and a radioactive tracer injected into the subject or a radioactive marker implanted into the subject, the ROI undergoing a physiological motion during the radiation treatment;
• and
• adaptively adjusting, by a processing device, the delivery of the radiation treatment with respect to the physiological motion of the ROI by:
• obtaining a plurality of reference images of the ROI corresponding to a plurality of motion phases of the ROI, each of the reference images being indicative of a distribution of the radioactive tracer or the radioactive maker in the ROI at a corresponding motion phase;
• and
• adaptively adjusting, based on the single photons detected by the scintillation camera and the plurality of reference images, the delivery of a radiation beam with respect to the physiological motion of the ROI.

A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising a set of instructions for emission guided radiation therapy (EGRT), wherein when executed by a radiotherapy system, the set of instructions direct the radiotherapy system to effectuate a method, the radiotherapy system comprising a scintillation camera and a processing device, the method comprising:

• detecting, by the scintillation camera directed at a region of interest (ROI) of a subject who is receiving a radiation treatment, single photons from annihilation photon pairs produced by interactions between the subject and a radioactive tracer injected into the subject or a radioactive marker implanted into the subject, the ROI undergoing a physiological motion during the radiation treatment;
• adaptively adjusting, by the processing device, the delivery of the radiation treatment with respect to the physiological motion of the ROI by:
• obtaining a plurality of reference images of the ROI corresponding to a plurality of motion phases of the ROI, each of the reference images being indicative of a distribution of the radioactive tracer or the radioactive maker in the ROI at a corresponding motion phase;
• and
• adaptively adjusting, based on the single photons detected by the scintillation camera and the plurality of reference images, the delivery of a radiation beam with respect to the physiological motion of the ROI.