Patent ID: 8027431

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a radiation treatment plan for a prescribed radiation dose to a target volume in a series of individual treatment beams in an arc around the target volume, each individual beam being associated with a fixed point and a prescribed dose of radiation for each fixed point; converting each fixed point associated with each of the individual treatment beams to a segment having a start angle and a stop angle where the start angle is not equal to the stop angle, each segment defining a range over which the prescribed dose of radiation corresponding to each fixed point is to be delivered, and the segments arranged in a contiguous manner on the arc; and delivering, by a radiation therapy system including a gantry to control a position of a radiation source, the prescribed dose of radiation from the radiation source to the target volume over each of the segments arranged in the contiguous manner on the arc, the delivery of the prescribed radiation dose is continuous through each of the segments between the start angle and the stop angle of each segment and the gantry of the radiation therapy system moves in a continuous motion about the target volume throughout the delivery of the prescribed dose of radiation to the target volume over each of the segments.