Boron neutron capture therapy of malignant brain tumors at the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:446339

Joel, D D; Coderre, J A; Chanana, A D ^[1]

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1. Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States). Medical Dept.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a bimodal form of radiation therapy for cancer. The first component of this treatment is the preferential localization of the stable isotope {sup 10}B in tumor cells by targeting with boronated compounds. The tumor and surrounding tissue is then irradiated with a neutron beam resulting in thermal neutron/{sup 10}B reactions ({sup 10}B(n,{alpha}){sup 7}Li) resulting in the production of localized high LET radiation from alpha and {sup 7}Li particles. These products of the neutron capture reaction are very damaging to cells, but of short range so that the majority of the ionizing energy released is microscopically confined to the vicinity of the boron-containing compound. In principal it should be possible with BNCT to selectively destroy small nests or even single cancer cells located within normal tissue. It follows that the major improvements in this form of radiation therapy are going to come largely from the development of boron compounds with greater tumor selectivity, although there will certainly be advances made in neutron beam quality as well as the possible development of alternative sources of neutron beams, particularly accelerator-based epithermal neutron beams.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 446339
• Report Number(s): BNL--64068; CONF-9611139--2; ON: DE97003444
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
BORON 10
BRAIN
LITHIUM 7
NEOPLASMS
NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY
NEUTRON REACTIONS
NEUTRON SOURCES