A calculation of the neutron RBE for BNCT

Journal Article · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:75842

Blue, T E; Woollard, J E; Gupta, N

In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of malignant brain tumors, the patient is irradiated in an epithermal neutron field. Hence, a knowledge of the energy dependence of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of epithermal neutrons, RBE(E{sub n}), is important in designing a neutron field that will deliver to the patient a maximum ratio of thermal neutron fluence at the tumor site (numerator) to the normal-tissue RBE dose at the point where tolerance is reached (denominator). In this paper, the energy dependence of RBE(E{sub n}) is calculated using proton fluence energy distributions resulting from {sup 1}H(n,n{prime}){sup 1}H and {sup 14}N(n,p){sup 14}C reactions in tissue and using a measured relation between RBE and L, the linear energy transfer. The resulting relation for RBE(E{sub n}) is then normalized to the results of normal tissue tolerance studies performed in the Brookhaven medical research reactor (BMRR) epithermal neutron beam for BNCT.

• OSTI ID: 75842
• Report Number(s): CONF-940602--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 70; ISSN TANSAO; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
ENERGY SPECTRA
EPITHERMAL NEUTRONS
NEOPLASMS
NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY
RBE