Method of mechanically controlling the amount of energy to reach a patient undergoing intraoperative electron radiation therapy

Abstract

Apparatus for performing electron radiation therapy on a breast cancer patient preferably includes an intraoperative electron radiation therapy machine, an intraoperative electron radiation therapy collimator tube connected to the intraoperative electron radiation therapy machine, and a plurality of filters made of a material having substantially the same density as human breast tissue for placement between the machine and the patient to change the energy of a monoenergetic beam after the beam has left the machine, allowing a filter to be chosen to reduce the energy traveling through the tube to a desired amount of energy to treat the patient. A method of controlling the amount of energy to reach a breast cancer patient undergoing electron radiation therapy includes selecting a filter made of a material having substantially the same density as human tissue and placing the filter between an intraoperative electron radiation therapy machine and a breast cancer patient to change the energy of a monoenergetic beam after it has left the machine, the filter being chosen to reduce the energy traveling from the machine to a desired amount of energy to treat the patient.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.