Clinical considerations for neutron capture therapy of brain tumors

Journal Article · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Basic Life Sciences; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5802-2_3· OSTI ID:6146692

Madoc-Jones, H; Wazer, D E; Zamenhof, R G; Harling, O K; Bernard, Jr, J A ^[1]

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1. Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA (USA)

The radiotherapeutic management of primary brain tumors and metastatic melanoma in brain has had disappointing clinical results for many years. Although neutron capture therapy was tried in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, the results were not as hoped. However, with the newly developed capability to measure boron concentrations in blood and tissue both quickly and accurately, and with the advent of epithermal neutron beams obviating the need for scalp and skull reflection, it should now be possible to mount such a clinical trial of NCT again and avoid serious complications. As a prerequisite, it will be important to demonstrate the differential uptake of boron compound in brain tumor as compared with normal brain and its blood supply. If this can be done, then a trial of boron neutron capture therapy for brain tumors should be feasible. Because boronated phenylalanine has been demonstrated to be preferentially taken up by melanoma cells through the biosynthetic pathway for melanin, there is special interest in a trial of boron neutron capture therapy for metastatic melanoma in brain. Again, the use of an epithermal beam would make this a practical possibility. However, because any epithermal (or thermal) beam must contain a certain contaminating level of gamma rays, and because even a pure neutron beam causes gamma rays to be generated when it interacts with tissue, we think that it is essential to deliver treatments with an epithermal beam for boron neutron capture therapy in fractions in order to minimize the late-effects of low-LET gamma rays in the normal tissue. I look forward to the remainder of this Workshop, which will detail recent progress in the development of epithermal, as well as thermal, beams and new methods for tracking and measuring the uptake of boron in normal and tumor tissues. 10 references.

• OSTI ID: 6146692
• Journal Information: Basic Life Sciences; (USA), Journal Name: Basic Life Sciences; (USA) Vol. 54; ISSN BLFSB; ISSN 0090-5542
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550603* -- Medicine-- External Radiation in Therapy-- (1980-)
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BARYONS
BEAMS
BODY
BORON COMPOUNDS
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISEASES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY TRANSFER
EPITHERMAL NEUTRONS
FERMIONS
FRACTIONATED IRRADIATION
GAMMA RADIATION
HADRONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRRADIATION
LET
MEDICINE
MELANOMAS
METASTASES
NEOPLASMS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEUTRON BEAMS
NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY
NEUTRON THERAPY
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
NUCLEON BEAMS
NUCLEONS
ORGANS
PARTICLE BEAMS
RADIATIONS
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
THERAPY