Towards epithermal Boron Neutron Capture Therapy for cancer
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Menai (Australia)
Progress in the treatment of local disseminating cancer such as high grade brain tumours is poor, and the ability to kill individual cancer cells in the midst of normal cells has not been achieved. Binary therapies hold the most promise of this, and of these Boron Neutron Capture Therapy is the most advanced. Epithermal neutron beams are essential for outpatient treatment of high grade brain tumours and these are now installed and being characterised in Europe and the USA, and are at the design stage in Australia. These beams would allow the bilateral irradiation of the entire brain, and as such are ideally suited for the prophylactic therapy of subclinical metastases. When coupled with appropriate cancer affined boron compounds, therapeutic ratios of 2-3 should be achieved. At present the only source of an epithermal neutron beam is a nuclear reactor. The Euratom reactor at Petten and the Brookhaven Medical Reactor have been retrofitted with filters to produce an epithermal neutron beam. These beams have been characterised and used in dose escalation studies with dogs to study normal tissue tolerance using borocaptate (BSH). Another beam is available at the MIT medical research reactor. Clinical trials at Petten for glioblastoma with BSH and at MIT using boronophenylalanine for melanoma metastases to the extremities are expected to commence this year. The state of the art of reactor based BNCT is reviewed and the potential for a major change in the prognosis of local control of disseminating cancer is explored.
- OSTI ID:
- 182050
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940501-; ISSN 0003-018X; TRN: 95:004487-0078
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 70, Issue Suppl.1; Conference: 9. Pacific basin nuclear conference, Sydney (Australia), 1-5 May 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
ANALYSIS OF ACCELERATOR BASED NEUTRON SPECTRA FOR BNCT USING PROTON RECOIL SPECTROSCOPY
License amendment for neutron capture therapy at the MIT research reactor