DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-ACTIVITY CF-252 SOURCES FOR NEUTRON BRACHYTHERAPY

The Gershenson Radiation Oncology Center of Wayne State University (WS U), Detroit, Michigan, is using Cf-252 medical sources for neutron bra chytherapy. These sources are based on a 20-year-old design containing less than or equal to 30 mu g Cf-252 in the form of a cermet wire of Cf2O3 in a palladium matrix. The Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been asked to deve lop very compact, high-activity Cf-252 neutron Sources for use with re mote afterloading equipment in order to reduce treatment times and dos e to clinical personnel and to expedite treatment of brain and other t umors, To date, the REDC has demonstrated that Cf-252 loadings can be greatly increased in cermet wires and with much smaller diameters. Equ ipment designed for hot cell fabrication of these wires is being teste d. A parallel program is under way to relicense the existing source de sign for fabrication at the REDC. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.