Improved methods for the generation of 24.5 keV neutron beams with possible application to boron neutron capture therapy

Constantine, G.; Baker, L.; Nigel, Taylor

doi:10.1016/0168-9002(86)91110-1

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…The 24 keV neutrons were obtained by filtering neutrons from a research reactor (PLUTO, located at AEA Technology's Harwell Laboratory) with a filter of iron, aluminium and sulphur [14][15][16]. Although of interest for BNCT, the relative biological effectiveness (rbe) of this beam for cell killing in non-boronated tissue was found to be relatively high, a possible disadvantage for therapy because of the potential for significant damage to normal surface tissues.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cell survival measurements in an argon, aluminium and sulphur filtered neutron beam: a comparison with 24 keV neutrons and relevance to boron neutron capture therapy

Mill¹,

Morgan²,

Newman³

1994

The British Journal of Radiology

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Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has been advanced as a suitable alternative therapy for the treatment of glioma. BNCT involves the selective uptake of a tumour with a boron-bearing substance and subsequent irradiation with a beam of neutrons. Previous attempts with BNCT have utilized thermal neutrons, but this involves resection of the scalp prior to treatment and is only possible with superficial tumours. An alternative is to use a beam of intermediate-energy neutrons which will produce a peak in the thermal neutron fluence at depth in tissue and so enable deep-seated tumours to be treated. A neutron beam with a mean energy of approximately 9 keV, obtained by filtering neutrons from a reactor with aluminium, argon and sulphur, has been used to explore the radiobiological advantage over thermal and 24 keV neutrons for BNCT. Irradiation of V79 and HeLa cells at various positions in a polythene phantom suggest that the beam is less cytotoxic for a given neutron fluence than the 24 keV neutron beam previously considered as an alternative to thermal neutrons for BNCT. However, optimization of boron distribution via the development of new compounds still appears to be necessary for BNCT to become a safe alternative option for the treatment of glioma.

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confidence: 99%

Cell survival measurements in an argon, aluminium and sulphur filtered neutron beam: a comparison with 24 keV neutrons and relevance to boron neutron capture therapy

Mill¹,

Morgan²,

Newman³

1994

The British Journal of Radiology

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“…The iron-filter rig is designed to maximize the neutron fluence rate of 24 keV neutrons whilst minimizing the contributions of neutrons with other energies and gamma rays (Constantine et al, 1986a). Biological specimens are irradiated in the beam emerging from the top of the thimble in the void region, between the reactor's top plate and top shield.…”

Section: The Future For Bnctmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and the design and dosimetry of a high-intensity, 24 keV, neutron beam for BNCT research

Perks

Mill²,

Constantine³

et al. 1988

The British Journal of Radiology

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This paper reviews the development of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and describes the design and dosimetry of an intermediate energy neutron beam, developed at the Harwell Laboratory, principally for BNCT research. Boron neutron capture therapy is a technique for the treatment of gliomas (a fatal form of brain tumour). The technique involves preferentially attaching 10B atoms to tumour cells and irradiating them with thermal neutrons. The thermal neutron capture products of 10B are short range and highly damaging, so they kill the tumour cells, but healthy tissue is relatively undamaged. Early trials required extensive neurosurgery to exposure the tumour to the thermal neutrons used and were unsuccessful. It is thought that intermediate-energy neutrons will overcome many of the problems encountered in the early trials, because they have greater penetration prior to thermalization, so that surgery will not be required. An intermediate-energy neutron beam has been developed at the Harwell Laboratory for research into BNCT. Neutrons from the core of a high-flux nuclear reactor are filtered with a combination of iron, aluminium and sulphur. Dosimetry measurements have been made to determine the neutron and gamma-ray characteristics of this beam, and to monitor them throughout the four cycles used for BNCT research. The beam is of high intensity (approximately 2 x 10(7) neutrons cm-2 s-1, equivalent to a neutron kerma rate in water of 205 mGy h-1) and nearly monoenergetic (93% of the neutrons have energies approximately 24 keV, corresponding to 79% of the neutron kerma rate).

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“…Studies by Constantine and associates have investigated the possibility of using 24-keV neutrons from Fefiltered beams (Constantine et al, 1986), but experimental dosimetric evaluations have demonstrated that the dose for H recoils from such beams is still prohibitively high Morgan et al, 1985). Calculations indicate that with a 2-keV Sc-filtered beam there is no significant absorbed dose from fast neutrons relative to ys and protons generated by the H(n,y)D and 14N(n,p)14C reactions in clinical situations.…”

Section: Characteristics Of An "Optimized" Epithermal Neutron Beammentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimization of Boron and Neutron Delivery for Neutron Capture Therapy

Fairchild

Slatkin

Coderre

et al. 1989

Pigment Cell Research

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A number of groups in the United States have received funding that will permit evaluation of the clinical efficacy of the neutron capture therapy (NCT) procedure. Various reactors are being modified to allow the construction of an epithermal neutron beam. At the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMRR), the patient irradiation facility is being modified to produce an optimized epithermal neutron beam. An 80-cm-thick A1-D2O mixture (184 g/cm2, 25% D2O by volume) is being installed in the shutter assembly. One-dimensional calculations indicate that this configuration should provide an epithermal neutron flux density of approximately 1 x 10(9) n/cm2/sec at 3 MW and a concomitant fast neutron dose rate of approximately 2 x 10(-11) rad per epithermal neutron (assuming a homogeneous A1-D2O mixture). The actual geometry will be an inhomogeneous array of D2O and A1 layers producing parameters somewhat less favorable than those listed above; experimental verification is in progress. Significant gains have recently been made in selectively targeting B to melanoma with various melanaffinic compounds, including p-boronophenylalanine, and with boronated porphyrins that may be applicable to a variety of tumors. Neutron capture radiographs have been obtained with the above compounds, and efforts have been made to quantitate boron uptake in growing and quiescent or necrotic regions of tumor via double-labeling techniques obtained with tritiated thymidine. A correlation between therapeutic efficacy and the ability to deliver boron to viable areas of tumor has been observed.

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Improved methods for the generation of 24.5 keV neutron beams with possible application to boron neutron capture therapy

Cited by 14 publications

References 1 publication

Cell survival measurements in an argon, aluminium and sulphur filtered neutron beam: a comparison with 24 keV neutrons and relevance to boron neutron capture therapy

Cell survival measurements in an argon, aluminium and sulphur filtered neutron beam: a comparison with 24 keV neutrons and relevance to boron neutron capture therapy

A review of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and the design and dosimetry of a high-intensity, 24 keV, neutron beam for BNCT research

Optimization of Boron and Neutron Delivery for Neutron Capture Therapy

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