Patent ID: 8269198

Claim:
A method for delivering therapeutic heavy ion radiation to a subject comprising the step of delivering a therapeutic dose of heavy ions substantially only to a target volume within the subject by generating a broad field of radiation effect substantially only within the target volume, the broad field of radiation effect not being generated in non-targeted tissue of the subject, said delivering comprising irradiating the target volume with at least two arrays of heavy ion microbeams, the at least two arrays each having at least two parallel, spatially distinct heavy ion microbeams, and wherein the step of delivering the microbeams further includes the step of interleaving the at least two arrays substantially only within the target volume to form a substantially continuous broad beam of radiation substantially only within the target volume, wherein the arrays of heavy ion microbeams comprise parallel beam planes and a substantially constant spacing between adjacent beam planes, and wherein said step of interleaving the at least two arrays comprises the steps of: irradiating the target volume in a first direction with a first one of the at least two arrays of heavy ion microbeams; angularly displacing a second one of the at least two arrays from the first one of the at least two arrays by rotating one of the subject and a source generating the at least two arrays about an axis positioned through a center of the target volume, the axis being perpendicular to the parallel beam planes; translating the second one of the at least two arrays in a direction perpendicular to the parallel beam planes by a distance substantially equal to half the spacing between adjacent beam planes on-center; and irradiating the target tissue in a second irradiation direction with the second of the at least two arrays, and wherein each of the parallel, spatially distinct heavy ion microbeams comprises a first beam thickness upon entering the subject and a second beam thickness upon entering the target volume, the second beam thickness being greater than the first beam thickness, and wherein the method further comprises the step of spacing adjacent beams of each array such that the distance between adjacent beams is greater than the first beam thickness.