Early prediction of proton therapy dose distributions and DVHs for hepatocellular carcinoma using contour-based CNN models from diagnostic CT and MRI

This study demonstrates that early dose distribution prediction from diagnostic imaging is feasible and accurate using a lightweight CNN model. Despite anatomical variability between diagnostic and planning images, this approach provides timely insights into treatment feasibility, potentially supporting insurance pre-authorization, reducing unnecessary imaging, and optimizing clinical workflows for HCC proton therapy.