Da. Allen et al., Design for an accelerator-based orthogonal epithermal neutron beam for boron neutron capture therapy, MED PHYS, 26(1), 1999, pp. 71-76
Citations number
14
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology ,Nuclear Medicine & Imaging","Medical Research Diagnosis & Treatment
This paper is concerned with the proposed Birmingham accelerator-based epit
hermal neutron beam for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). In particular
, the option of producing a therapy beam at an orthogonal direction to the
incoming protons is considered. Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations
, both with and without a head phantom, have shown that an orthogonal beam
geometry is not only acceptable but is indeed beneficial, in terms of a low
er mean neutron energy and an enhanced therapeutic ratio for the same usefu
l neutron fluence in the therapy beam. Typical treatment times for various
beam options have been calculated, and range from 20 to 48 min with a 5 mA
beam of 2.8 MeV protons, if the maximum photon-equivalent dose delivered to
healthy tissue is to be 12.6 Gy Eq. The effects of proton beam diameter up
on the therapy beam parameters have also been considered. (C) 1999 American
Association of Physicists in Medicine. [S0094-2405(99)00701-4].