Diagnostic and theranostic technologies used in boron neutron capture therapy – A brief review

Abstract

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a highly targeted, selective and effective technique to cure various types of cancers, with less harms to the healthy cells. In principle, BNCT treatment needs to selectively and homogeneously distribute the 10boron (10B) atoms inside the tumor tissues as well as capturing of sufficient neutrons to initiate a nuclear fission reaction with release of the high linear energy particles to kill the tumor cells. Similar to chemotherapy and other radiotherapy for tumor treatment, emerging theranostics are vital in BNCT. Particularly, the in vivo localization and quantification of 10B concentrations are critical for the success of BNCT. However, the current scenarios, including both instrumentation and technology, do not fulfill the accurate measurement and time requirements. Therefore, more effective strategies are in demand in BNCT treatment. This review summarizes and outlooks on the emerging imaging techniques that are currently or potentially used in BNCT, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and fluorescence imaging (FI).