Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Applications Research Articles

Targeted drug delivery for boron neutron capture therapy.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a form of radiochemotherapy that is becoming increasingly important for the treatment of malignant gliomas, malignant melanomas and other forms of cancer. Targeted delivery of boron to tumors is a critical prerequisite for successful BNCT. Strategies that involve synthetic chemical approaches and biochemical and biophysical approaches are employed to meet this requirement. Compounds developed for targeting to tumors include borocaptate sodium (BSH) and p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) which are currently in clinical use. Boronated porphyrins, nucleosides, nucleotides and other boronated compounds show potentials as targeting molecules. Conjugation of boron compounds to macromolecules such as monoclonal antibodies, epidermal growth factor and dextran is also employed for active or passive tumor targeting. Boron delivery via microparticulate carriers such as liposomes, high density lipoproteins and microcapsules is also attractive for its potential application in BNCT.

Boron neutron capture therapy: A mechanism for achieving a concomitant tumor boost in fast neutron radiotherapy

Purpose : For many years neutron radiation has been used to treat malignant disease both as fast neutron radiotherapy and as thermal neutron induced boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). To date, these two approaches have been used independently of one another due to the large difference in neutron energies each employs. In this paper we discuss the potential application of BNCT to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of a fast neutron radiotherapy beam. Methods and Materials : Measurements are presented for the thermal neutron component that is spontaneously developed as the University of Washington fast neutron radiotherapy beam penetrates a water phantom. The biological effect of this thermalized component on cells “tagged” with boron-10 ( 10B) is modeled mathematically and the expected change in cell survival calculated. The model is then extended to estimate the effect this enhanced cell killing would have for increased tumor control. Results : The basic predictions of the model on changes in cell survival are verified with in vitro measurements using the V-79 cell line. An additional factor of 10–100 in tumor cell killing appears achievable with currently available 10B carriers using our present neutron beam. A Poisson model is then used to estimate the change in tumor control this enhanced cell killing would produce in various clinical situations and the effect is sufficiently large so as to be clinically relevant. It is also demonstrated that the magnitude of the thermalized component can be increased by a factor of 2–3 with relatively simple changes in the beam generating conditions. Conclusion : BNCT may provide a means of enhancing the therapeutic effectiveness of fast neutron radiothearapy in a wide variety of clinical situations and is an area of research that should be aggressively pursued.

Three-Dimensional Radiation Dose Distribution Analysis for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

This paper reports that calculation of physically realistic radiation dose distributions for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a complex, three-dimensional problem. Traditional one-dimensional (slab) and two-dimensional (cylindrical) models, while useful for neutron beam design and performance analysis, do not provide sufficient accuracy for actual clinical use because the assumed symmetries inherent in such models do not ordinarily exist in the real world. Fortunately, however, it is no longer necessary to make these types of simplifying assumptions. Recent dramatic advances in computing technology have brought full three-dimensional dose distribution calculations for BNCT into the realm of practicality for a wide variety of routine applications. Once a geometric model and the appropriate material compositions have been determined, either stochastic (Monte Carlo) or deterministic calculations of all dose components of interest can now be performed more rapidly and inexpensively for the true three-dimensional geometries typical of actual clinical applications of BNCT. Demonstrations of both Monte Carlo and Deterministic techniques for performing three-dimensional dose distribution analysis for BNCT are provided. Calculated results are presented for a three-dimensional Lucite canine-head phantom irradiated in the epithermal neutron beam available at the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor. The deterministic calculations are performed using the three-dimensional discrete ordinatesmore » method. The Monte Carlo calculations employ a novel method for obtaining spatially detailed radiation flux and dose distributions without the use of flux-at-a-point estimators. The calculated results are in good agreement with each other and with thermal neutron flux measurements taken using copper-gold flux wires placed at various locations in the phantom.« less

The present status of boron-neutron capture therapy for tumors

Abstract

Head phantom experiment and calculation for boron neutron capture therapy

Head phantom experiments with various neutron beams and calculations were carried out in order to provide useful information for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Thermal neutron beams for thermal neutron capture therapy were used for phantom experiments with various neutron collimator aperture sizes. The filtered beam neutrons of 24 and 144 keV generated with iron and silicon filters were also used to investigate the possible application of BNCT in the treatment of deep-seated cancers. Thermal neutron fluence and induced capture gamma dose distributions within the phantom were calculated with a transport code DOT 3.5 and compared with the experimental results. The results showed that the calculation used was consistent with the experimental results and provided useful information on BNCT. The filtered beam neutron may be very useful for the treatment of deep or widespread cancer, if there were a high power research reactor constructed for this purpose.