Patent ID: 8144832

Claim:
An apparatus for acquiring a three-dimensional image of at least a tumor in a patient, said apparatus comprising: a synchrotron; an X-ray source; a platform configured to support the patient, said platform comprising multi-axis computer control of: a vertical position of said platform; and a rotation position of said platform, wherein at least a portion of said platform comprises a position, said position under an about horizontal beam path, during use said beam path comprising at least one of: protons extracted from said synchrotron; and X-rays from said X-ray source, wherein said x-ray source is physically positioned less than one hundred millimeters from said protons extracted from said synchrotron during use, said protons running along a proton beam path, said platform configured to rotate, under computer control, to at least ten rotation positions over at least one hundred eighty degrees of rotation during a tumor imaging period, and wherein said control of position positions the tumor in the about horizontal beam path during use.