Autoradiographic and histopathological studies of boric acid-mediated BNCT in hepatic VX2 tumor-bearing rabbits: Specific boron retention and damage in tumor and tumor vessels.

Hepatoma is a malignant tumor that responds poorly to conventional therapies. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) may provide a better way for hepatoma therapy. In this research, (10)B-enriched boric acid (BA, 99% (10)B) was used as the boron drug. A multifocal hepatic VX2 tumor-bearing rabbit model was used to study the mechanisms of BA-mediated BNCT. Autoradiography demonstrated that BA was selectively targeted to tumors and tumor vessels. Histopathological examination revealed the radiation damage to tumor-bearing liver was concentrated in the tumor regions during BNCT treatment. The selective killing of tumor cells and the destruction of the blood vessels in tumor masses may be responsible for the success of BA-mediated BNCT for liver tumors.

BNCT for locally recurrent head and neck cancer: preliminary clinical experience from a phase I/II trial at Tsing Hua Open-Pool Reactor.

To introduce our preliminary experience of treating locally and regionally recurrent Head and Neck cancer patients at Tsing Hua Open-Pool Reactor in Taiwan, four patients (M/F=3/1, median age 68 Y/O) were enrolled. BNCT with BPA (400 mg/kg) injected in 2 phases and prescription dose of 12-35 Gy (Eq.)/fraction for 2 fractions at 30 day interval can be given with sustained blood boron concentration and tolerable early toxicities for recurrent H & N cancer.

Potential of using boric acid as a boron drug for boron neutron capture therapy for osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor commonly found in human and animals. The ability of boric acid (BA) to accumulate in osteosarcoma due to the mechanism of the bone formation of cancer cells would make boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) an alternative therapy for osteosarcoma. This study evaluated the feasibility of using BA as the boron drug for BNCT of bone cancer. The cytotoxicity of BA to L929 cells exceeded that of UMR-106 cells. With 25 µg (10)B/mL medium of BA treatment, the boron concentration in UMR-106 cells was higher than that in L929 cells. The biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of BA in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were studied by administrating 25 mg (10)B/kg body weight to SD rats. Blood boron level decreased rapidly within one hour after BA injection. Boron concentration in the long bone was 4-6 time higher than that of blood. Results of this study suggest that BA may be a potential drug for BNCT for osteosarcoma.

Increase of the beam intensity for BNCT by changing the core configuration at THOR.

In this article, we will consider several core configurations and run the core calculation with MCNP to obtain the neutrons distribution at THOR. The thermal neutron flux inside the vertical tubes (VT-B-VT-E) and the fast neutron flux in the first row facing to the boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) facility (I3-I5) were tallied for indication. Based on these simulation results, the fuel elements were rearranged during the annual repair period in 2007. The epithermal neutron flux at the center of BNCT beam exit in air was measured again, and the results showed that the beam intensity increased by 50%. Comparing the neutron intensities both in reactor core and at the BNCT beam exit for several core configurations, the results show that the BNCT beam intensity can be increased without decreasing the neutron intensity in core.