Dual-energy CT-based assessment of patient tissue variability and its influence on particle therapy planning

The accuracy of particle therapy is currently limited by uncertainties in range prediction using a heuristic conversion from CT number to stopping-power ratio (SPR). The clinical application of dual-energy CT (DECT) contributes to reduce CT-related uncertainties and to quantify the influence of tissue variability on SPR prediction. DECT offers the opportunity to provide a patient-specific CT-number-to-SPR prediction. Based on routinely used DECT patient scans, this study shows differences between adults and children, which has to be clinically regarded.