Microdosimetry model for boron neutron capture therapy: II. Theoretical estimation of the effectiveness function and surviving fractions

A model has been developed to obtain a better understanding of the effects of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) on a cellular scale. This model, th e microdosimetry model MICOR, has been developed to include all reactions i mportant for BNCT, To make the model more powerful in the translation from energy deposition to biological effect, it has been designed to be capable of calculating the effectiveness function, Based on this function, the mode l can calculate surviving fractions, RBE values and boron concentration dis tributions. MICOR has been used to analyze an extensive set of biological e xperiments performed at the HB11 beam in Petten. For V79 Chinese hamster ce lls, the effectiveness function is determined and used to generate survivin g fractions. These fractions are compared with measured surviving fractions , which results in a good agreement between the measured and calculated sur viving fractions (within the uncertainties of the measurements). (C) 2001 b y Radiation Research Society.