At this year’s Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, Siemens Healthineers showcased its photon-counting CT scanner for use in radiation therapy (RT) imaging. NAEOTOM Alpha.Prime for RT is equipped with a novel cadmium telluride (CdTe) crystal detector that adds a wealth of new clinically relevant information and improves image resolution and contrast, paving the way for precise radiation therapy. CT is a key modality in RT because it provides very detailed three-dimensional images of a patient’s anatomy and helps calculate how radiation will interact with various tissues, enabling accurate dose calculation.

Siemens Healthineers introduced the world’s first photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) scanner in 2021. Since then, PCCT has been successfully adopted in radiology departments worldwide. As a next step and in co-creation with several clinical partners around the world, Siemens Healthineers has transferred all RT-specific features to photon-counting CT to leverage its advanced imaging capabilities for treatment planning fully. By transferring prescriptions and scanning requirements from the Oncology Information System ARIA CORE1 directly to NAEOTOM Alpha. Prime, a digital workflow is established. This leads to an automatic selection of the corresponding RT scan protocol, thereby further enhancing the entire radiation therapy simulation process. Patients who receive radiation therapy can benefit from optimised treatment plans resulting from additional clinically relevant information from a single scan, and tumours can be targeted for accurate radiation therapy.