Methods and systems for automated volumetric modulated arc therapy (vmat) for external radiation therapy

Abstract

Systems and methods for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatment planning include a processor determining, using a current solution of a non-convex VMAT optimization problem, a search region defining a corresponding spatial movement range for each leaf of a plurality of leaves of a MLC. The current solution can include first positions of the plurality of leaves of the MLC. The processor can merge, for each spatial movement range of a corresponding leaf, beamlets associated with the spatial movement range, and transform the nonconvex VMAT optimization problem into a convex VMAT optimization based on the merging of b camlets associated with each spatial movement range. The processor can solve the convex VMAT optimization problem to determine at least second positions of the plurality of leaves of the MLC.