Innovations in Spectral and Photon-Counting CT for Solid Tumors and Thoracic Malignancies

Spectral, dual-energy (DECT), and photon-counting CT (PCCT) are bringing unprecedented advances to diagnostic imaging. While these technologies have transformed cardiovascular and vascular imaging, their integration into thoracic oncology, and the care of patients with solid tumors more broadly, remains at an early and dynamic stage.This Research Topic is dedicated to accelerating scientific and clinical progress in the use of DECT and photon-counting CT for thoracic malignancies. We welcome original work focuses on, but is not limited to:• Advance understanding and management of thoracic cancers such as lung, pleural, and mediastinal tumors using spectral or photon-counting CT.• Develop and validate imaging biomarkers for diagnosis, staging, disease monitoring, and assessment of therapy response (including immunotherapy and targeted therapies) in thoracic oncology.• Introduce novel protocols and quantitative imaging methods (e.g., iodine mapping, virtual monoenergetic imaging, effective-Z) applicable to thoracic tumors.• Integrate advanced CT imaging into multimodal thoracic oncology workflows, leveraging AI, radiomics, or PET/MRI.• Demonstrate clinical utility in routine care, clinical trials, or multidisciplinary thoracic oncology management.While the primary focus is on thoracic malignancies, we also encourage submissions that present significant, generalizable advances for solid tumor imaging, provided they offer clear translational insights that can enhance the diagnosis or treatment of thoracic cancers. Studies limited to cardiac or vascular applications are outside scope. Manuscripts must be hypothesis-driven, clinically relevant, and grounded in validation or real-world patient impact.By gathering novel, high-quality work at the interface of technology and thoracic oncology, this Research Topic aims to drive forward the next generation of precision imaging for patients with thoracic malignancies.Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal. Topic editors: Giovanni Foti Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77147/innovations-in-spectral-and-photon-counting-ct-for-solid-tumors-and-thoracic-malignancies