NON-VOXEL-BASED BROAD-BEAM (NVBB) ALGORITHM FOR INTENSITY MODULATED RADIATION THERAPY DOSE CALCULATION AND PLAN OPTIMIZATION

A method of calculating a dose distribution for a patient for use in a radiation therapy treatment plan. The method includes acquiring an image of a volume within the patient, defining a radiation source, and defining a reference plane oriented between the radiation source and the patient. The method also includes generating a radiation therapy treatment plan, wherein the plan includes a plurality of rays that extend between the radiation source and the patient volume, and calculating a three-dimensional dose volume for the patient volume from the plurality of rays that intersect the reference plane without first having to independently calculate a dose distribution on each of the plurality of rays. The method can also include displaying the three-dimensional dose volume.