NEW HORIZONS FOR THERAPY BASED ON THE BORON NEUTRON-CAPTURE REACTION

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is currently undergoing clinical trials in the USA, Japan and The Netherlands with patients afflicted w ith deadly brain cancer (glioblastoma multiforme) or melanoma, This th erapy relies on a binary process in which the capture of a slow neutro n by a B-10 nucleus leads to an energetic nuclear fission reaction, wi th the formation of Li-7(3+) and He-4(2+) and accompanied by about 2.4 MeV of energy. The fleeting Li-7(3+) and He-4(2+) travel a distance o f only about the diameter of one cell, and they are deadly to any cell in which they have been produced. Research in progress is concerned w ith the development of advanced boron agents and neutron sources, othe r than nuclear reactors, for the treatment of a variety of cancer type s using novel B-10 delivery methods. Non-malignant diseases such as rh eumatoid arthritis offer additional opportunities for BNCT, The entire BNCT area awaits commercialization.