DEVELOPMENTS IN ACCELERATOR BASED BORON NEUTRON-CAPTURE THERAPY

This paper will review the current status of Boron Neutron Capture The rapy (BNCT), from basic physical mechanisms and clinical indications, to neutron beam development and dosimetry. For in-hospital facilities, particle accelerators presently provide the favoured option, and this paper concentrates on this approach to neutron beam production for BN CT. Various accelerator-based approaches will be reviewed, but discuss ion will concentrate on the Birmingham programme, particularly the des ign of a suitable neutron beam delivery system and the experimental va lidation of Monte Carlo simulations on a mock-up neutron beam moderati on system. The use of dose modifying factors to evaluate the likely cl inical utility of an epithermal neutron beam will also be discussed, w ith illustrations from the Birmingham programme. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd. All rights reserved.