Boron neutron capture enhancement of the tumor dose in fast neutron therapy beams

The moderation of fast neutron beams by patients’ tissue, combined with developments in tumor affinic boron carriers,1 may allow supplementation of fast neutron beam therapy by boron neutron capture (BNC) reactions. This has the potential to enlarge the “radiation therapeutic window” in some types of tumors, e.g. prostate, and/or permit the development of such a window in the radiation response of others, e.g. brain. The work reported here extends from the studies made by others in fast neutron beams with average energies less than 10 MeV2,3 to beams with average energies up to 24 MeV such as are generated by the p(50.5 MeV) + Be(26MeV) reaction.https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/phs-facbooks/1017/thumbnail.jp