Neutron activation and dosimetry studies for a clinical facility of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a radiotherapy in which the patient is irradiated with low-energy neutrons after the administration of a borated drug targeting cancer cells. Neutron activation and dosimetry studies are presented, related to a facility for the BNCT treatment of deep-seated tumours. The clinical beam is obtained from a proton accelerator coupled to a beryllium target and a neutron moderator/collimator (BSA, Beam Shaping Assembly) mainly made of solid lithiated aluminum fluoride. This paper illustrates the neutron activation analysis study performed on different aluminum fluoride powders to evaluate their use to produce the BSA material, and an example of Monte Carlo calculation of the out-of-field dosimetry. This last aspect is crucial to evaluate the safety of a clinical neutron beam concerning the dose absorbed by peripheral organ