Transformative Computational and Monte Carlo Innovations in Particle Therapy for Radiation Oncology

Particle therapy is revolutionizing radiation oncology by enabling highly precise, individualized cancer treatments. As technology evolves, the integration of advanced computational methods, including Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, artificial intelligence (AI), and high-performance computing, has become essential for optimizing dose delivery, treatment planning, and assessment of biological effects. Recent breakthroughs are helping to accelerate clinical translation and improve outcomes for patients, yet challenges remain in real-world adoption and workflow integration.To address these needs, this Research Topic seeks work advancing the clinical use, validation, and integration of next-generation MC and AI-driven approaches in particle therapy. We are especially interested in research that bridges technical innovation with clinical impact, tackles translational hurdles, or demonstrates new solutions for FLASH and ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR) therapy. Multidisciplinary contributions that combine physics, computational science, imaging, and clinical insight are highly encouraged.We welcome submissions on topics including, but not limited to:• Development and validation of GPU-, cloud-, or ML-accelerated MC codes for proton, ion, or combined-modality radiation therapy.• Applications of AI and data-driven methods in MC simulation, plan optimization, adaptive workflows, and toxicity prediction.• Patient-specific MC radiobiology and outcome modeling.Simulation and modeling for FLASH/ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR) proton and ion therapy.• Integration of imaging, genomics, radiomics, dosiomics, and multi-omics with particle therapy planning.• Barriers, challenges, and solutions—including reproducibility, regulatory hurdles, and training—for clinical adoption of advanced MC tools.• Open-source, collaborative, or reproducible computational initiatives.• Clinical case studies, translational research, mini-reviews, and breakthrough clinical reports leveraging advanced MC methods in particle therapy.Submissions across the spectrum from technical innovation to translational and clinical impact are welcome. The following types of manuscripts will be considered: original research, technical developments, comprehensive reviews, perspectives, and multidisciplinary collaborations. Case reports are welcome if they demonstrate novel clinical implementation, workflow integration, or highlight emerging challenges in the field.Please note: manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, and not based solely on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal. Topic editors: Francois Vander Stappen, Fada Guan, Wilfredo González, Aimee McNamara Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76079/transformative-computational-and-monte-carlo-innovations-in-particle-therapy-for-radiation-oncology