MINERVA (Modality-Inclusive Environment for Radiotherapeutic Variable Analysis) is a Java-based patient-centric radiation treatment planning system (RTPS) for computational dosimetry and treatment planning in emerging areas of radiotherapy for cancer and other diseases. MINERVA was primarily developed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Montana State University (MSU). MINERVA allows the radiotherapist to make side-by-side comparison of plans for multiple treatment modalities with a common anatomical basis for the computational geometry, calculate doses for combinations of different radiotherapy modalities, and perform dose analysis and reporting functions. This provides the therapist with a consistent basis for selecting the modality or combination of modalities to use for treatment of the patient. MINERVA employs an integrated, lightweight plug-in architecture to accommodate multi-modal treatment planning using standard interface components. The MINERVA design facilitates integration of improved or emerging treatment planning technologies. MINERVA consists of the basic radiation treatment planning software modules managed by a consistent patient interface for developing multi-modal radiotherapy patient treatment plans. One of MINERVA's main functions is to provide a graphical environment for constructing and displaying uniform volume-element-based solid models derived from medical images. These solid models form the geometric basis of the target areas for the radiation transport model.

Purpose: To test the feasibility of a system of software (MINERVA/PEREGRINE) developed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for supporting quality assurance (QA) review of cooperative‐group clinical trials treatment planning data within the Advanced Technology QA Consortium (ATC). Method and Materials: MINERVA is an open architecture, open source code system, designed to accommodate any computation engine through a plugin structure. MINERVA supports two types of data storage ‐ relational databases and XML files. Patient data is stored in a relational database. XML‐based import/export tools have been developed to transfer patient information between QA Centers and reviewers. Tools have been implemented as plugins to allow addition of more advanced tools. The research version of the LLNL PEREGRINE Monte Carlo code has been relocated to UC Davis Medical Center. The basis has been created for an integration of PEREGRINE with ITC, and it has been integrated with MINERVA as a calculation engine. Results: MINERVA supports submission of digital treatment planning data using RTOG format. Ability to import DICOM‐RT objects that satisfies the ATC DICOM conformance statement is needed. MINERVA provides display of DVHs and axial patient images with overlaid organ‐at‐risk/target‐volume contours, as well as user‐defined isodose curves. Users can edit contours, recalculate DVHs for these user‐defined structures, and display point doses. Test cases for several body sites have been calculated using PEREGRINE to demonstrate feasibility. We believe that the use of Monte Carlo simulation will become a key tool for credentialing and QA review of clinical trials treatment planning and verification data in the near future. Conclusion: The MINERVA/PEREGRINE software system appears to be well suited to meet the needs regarding QA of data submitted for future ATC‐supported clinical trials. Conflict of Interest: This work was supported by NIH U24 Grant CA81647.

Researchers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and Montana State University have undertaken development of MINERVA, a patient-centric, multi-modal, radiation treatment planning system. This system can be used for planning and analyzing several radiotherapy modalities, either singly or combined, using common modality independent image and geometry construction and dose reporting and guiding. It employs an integrated, lightweight plugin architecture to accommodate multi-modal treatment planning using standard interface components. The MINERVA design also facilitates the future integration of improved planning technologies. The code is being developed with the Java Virtual Machine for interoperability. A full computation path has been established for molecular targeted radiotherapy treatment planning, with the associated transport plugin developed by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Development of the neutron transport plugin module is proceeding rapidly, with completion expected later this year. Future development efforts will include development of deformable registration methods, improved segmentation methods for patient model definition, and three-dimensional visualization of the patient images, geometry, and dose data. Transport and source plugins will be created for additional treatment modalities, including brachytherapy, external beam proton radiotherapy, and the EGSnrc/BEAMnrc codes for external beam photon and electron radiotherapy.

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has long been active in development of advanced Monte-Carlo based computational dosimetry and treatment planning methods and software for advanced radiotherapy, with a particular focus on Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Fast-Neutron Therapy. The most recent INEEL software system of this type is known as SERA, Simulation Environment for Radiotherapy Applications. As a logical next step in the development of modern radiotherapy planning tools to support the most advanced research, INEEL and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the developers of the PEREGRTNE computational engine for radiotherapy treatment planning applications, have recently launched a new project to collaborate in the development of a ''next-generation'' multi-modality treatment planning software system that will be useful for all modern forms of radiotherapy.

The rtt-MC dose calculation module of the BNCT-Rtpe treatment planning system has been developed specifically for boron neutron cancer therapy. Due to the complicated nature of combined gamma, fast-, epithermal- and thermal-energy neutron transport in tissue, all approaches to treatment planning to date for this treatment modality rely on Monte Carlo or three-dimensional discrete ordinates methods. Simple, fast and accurate methods for this modality have simply not been developed. In this paper the authors discuss some of the unique attributes of this therapy and the approaches they have used to begin to merge into clinical applications. As this paper is under draft, the modern implementation of boron neutron cancer therapy in the US is being realized. Research of skin and tumor effect for superficial melanoma of the extremities has been initiated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and brain cancer therapy (using this planning system) has begun at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) trials for human glioma (glioblastoma multiform) were initiated September 1994 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Patients are given p-boronophenylalanine-fructose (BPA-F) intravenously as the boron carrier followed by exposure to the epithermal-neutron beam at the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMRR). The initial phase of the study is to determine safety and toxicity of the drug and irradiation procedure. The epithermal-neutron beam was developed in a joint effort by BNL and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) researchers. For the human trials, treatment planning and radiation dose estimation is performed using the BNCT-Rtpe and the rtt-MC computer codes developed by the INEL BNCT program. This paper discusses our initial experience using these treatment planning codes for human subjects. The basic principles of BNCT have been previously documented.

During the past few years, murine and large animal research, as well as human studies have provided data to the point where human clinical trials have been initiated at the BMRR using BPA-F for gliomas and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor (MITR) using BPA for melanomas of the extremeties. It is expected that glioma trials using BSH will proceed soon at the Petten High Flux Reactor (HFR) in the Netherlands. The first human glioma epithermal boron neutron capture therapy application was performed at the BMRR in the fall of 1994. This was a collaborative effort by BNL, Beth Israel Manhattan hospital, and INEL. The INEL planning system was chosen to perform dose predictions for this application.

Several improvements have been developed for the BNCT radiation treatment planning environment (BNCT-Rtpe) during 1994. These improvements have been incorporated into Version 1.0 of BNCT-Rtpe which is currently installed at the INEL, BNL, Japanese Research Center (JRC), and Finland`s Technical Research Center. Platforms supported by this software include Hewlett-Packard (HP), SUN, International Business Machines (IBM), and Silicon Graphics Incorporated (SGI). A draft version of the BNCT-Rtpe user manual is available. Version 1.1 of BNCT-Rtpe is scheduled for release in March 1995. It is anticipated that Version 2.x of BNCT-Rtpe, which includes the nonproprietary NURBS library and data structures, will be released in September 1995.

Development of blanket designs for fusion reactors requires module testing at reactor-relevant power densities, which cannot be obtained on near-term devices without augmented heating. Concepts are investigated which will substantially increase fusion blanket bulk heating over that produced by incident flux from a fusion or fission reactor, thus permitting meaningful near-term blanket testing on lower-power fusion devices. Electrical heating is considered and limitations determined for its use. A heat enhancement technique for bulk heating blanket materials is also proposed which uses the high energy released by fission of /sup 235/U. Calculations indicate that doping the blanket module with low percentages (2 to 3 vol %) of /sup 235/UO/sub 2/ will provide heat enhancement exceeding a factor of five. Calculated results of heating profiles for Li/sub 2/O and LiAlO/sub 2/ blankets are presented.