Improving radiation physics, tumor visualisation, and treatment quantification in radiotherapy with spectral or dual-energy CT

Abstract

Over the past decade, spectral or dual-energy CT has gained relevancy, especially in oncological radiology. Nonetheless, its use in the radiotherapy (RT) clinic remains limited. This review article aims to give an overview of the current state of spectral CT and to explore opportunities for applications in RT. In this article, three groups of benefits of spectral CT over conventional CT in RT are recognized. Firstly, spectral CT provides more information of physical properties of the body, which can improve dose calculation. Furthermore, it improves the visibility of tumors, for a wide variety of malignancies as well as organs-at-risk OARs, which could reduce treatment uncertainty. And finally, spectral CT provides quantitative physiological information, which can be used to personalize and quantify treatment.

Keywords: conventional CT; dose calculation; dual-energy CT; material decomposition; proton therapy; quantification; radiotherapy; spectral CT; tumor visibility.