Updating proton stopping power maps for proton radiation therapy treatment planning

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for proton radiation therapy treatment planning that perform deformable image reconstruction and relative stopping power (RSP) maps updating using individual proton measurement data without requiring use of an entire proton radiography image. The systems and methods are capable of using protons from an arbitrary set of angles and/or positions. The iterative method optimally fits protons, while minimizing deviations from the original or deformed RSP map. The systems and methods use a covariance matrix to account for different uncertainties. Each iteration correctly accounts for in the proton data from measurement uncertainties, optimizing the overall fit of the RSP map to the proton data even though each proton does not fit perfectly due to measurement uncertainties. Different weights for the deviations from the original or deformed RSP map may be assigned to different voxels. The different weights may account for correlations in the deviations between voxels.