Boron Neutron Capture Therapy of disseminated tumours

Abstract

The Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an experimental form of radiotherapy, based on the infusion of a borated compound followed by thermal neutron irradiation. The reaction that is exploited is the thermal neutron capture on 10B, which gives rise to an ® particle and a 7Li ion. These two high-LET particles loose all their energy in a short distance, irreversibly damaging the cell nucleus if a sufficient number of reactions take place inside the cell. The most advantageous characteristic of this therapy is that the tumour can be selectively loaded with Boron compared to the surrounding normal tissue. In this way, a potentially therapeutic dose can be delivered to the tumour by irradiation of a large portion of the organ involved, with a substantial sparing of the healthy zones. This selective effect, which is one of the main objectives of each tumour therapy, makes BNCT a valid option in those cases in which the traditional treatments fail, such as when an organ is invaded by a metastatic spread or a diffuse tumour. The presented work describes the research on the two BNCT applications under study in Pavia: the treatment of hepatic metastases from colon Adenocarcinoma and the treatment of the lung tumours.