Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A radiation treatment table comprising:a generally flat patient support surface, the surface comprising an opening to allow a woman's breast to hang downwardly through the opening and below said patient support surface to receive radiation when a woman is placed on said patient support surface in a prone position;a platform support connected to the patient support surface, the platform support comprising at least one vertical support, the at least one vertical support having an upper end coupled to the patient support surface and having a lower end adapted to be secured to a linear accelerator table; anda head positioning device attachable to the patient support surface. 2. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the head positioning device is moveable along the patient support surface. 3. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the head positioning device is fixably attached to the patient support surface. 4. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the head positioning device is constructed of molded plastic. 5. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the head positioning device is constructed of memory foam. 6. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the head positioning device further includes a cushion for a patient's head. 7. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the patient support surface further includes a padded upper surface. 8. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the patient support surface further comprises at least two generally flat support surfaces moveable relative to one another. 9. The radiation treatment table of claim 8, wherein the opening is formed between the at least two generally flat support surfaces. 10. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein the opening is adjustable so as to accommodate different sized breasts. 11. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein said opening is formed as part of a hinged opening plate. 12. The radiation treatment table of claim 1, wherein said opening is formed as part of a removable plate having a generally circular opening. 13. A method for reproducibly positioning a patient to receive radiation of the breast comprising the steps of:positioning a patient in a prone position upon a positioning platform, the positioning platform including a patient support surface elevated above a linear accelerator table, the patient support surface having at least one opening through which a breast may hang downwardly toward the linear accelerator table, the positioning platform further including a platform support having at least one vertical support having a lower end adapted to be secured to the linear accelerator table and having an upper end secured to the patient support surface, and a head positioning device;placing the patient's head in the head positioning device such that at least one of the patient's breasts is positioned to hang downwardly through the opening and below said patient support surface to receive radiation;positioning a radiation source relative to the patient's breast; andirradiating the breast. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of positioning the opening to allow the at least one breast to hang freely through the opening.