Exploring Photon-Counting CT for Enhanced Target Delineation and Dose Accuracy in Personalized Radiotherapy - ANTHEM
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Cancer. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Italy
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
Radiotherapy remains a cornerstone of oncology care, particularly for rare or orphan cancers and chronic oncologic and rare non oncologic conditions, where precision and individualized treatment planning are necessary. Advances in imaging technologies are crucial to overcome the challenges posed by these cases, especially in achieving accurate tumor delineation and dose delivery. Photon-counting CT (PCCT) represents a transformative step forward in imaging technology. Unlike conventional energy-integrating CT, PCCT offers a) superior spatial resolution, enabling clearer visualization of tumor margins and fine anatomical structures, b) enhanced tissue characterization, allowing better differentiation between tumor tissues and normal tissue; c) spectral imaging capabilities, facilitating improved dose calculations. These attributes are particularly advantageous in high-precision radiotherapy techniques, such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or proton therapy, where small errors in target delineation or dose delivery can significantly impact treatment outcomes. However, very limited data reporting the clinical use of PCCT for RT planning are available.
Primary outcome measures
- Improve RT target delineation accuracy and differentiation of organs-at-risk (OARs). [Time frame: day 1 (day of simulation TC)]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Enhanced dose calculation precision, particularly for proton therapy [Time frame: Day 1 (day of simulation TC)]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- ≥18 years old patients
- tumors located in challenging anatomical regions (brain, head and neck, liver, pancreas prostate), or Cardiac disease requiring RT by photon or proton at our Institution.
Exclusion criteria
\- 18 years old patients
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Italy · 1 center
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital — Rozzano
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07098247 · RAD4/RT_ANTHEM