Present status of Accelerator-Based BNCT

KREINER, ANDRES JUAN; BERGUEIRO, JAVIER; CARTELLI, DANIEL; BALDO, MATIAS; CASTELL, WALTER; ASOIA, JAVIER GOMEZ; PADULO, JAVIER; SUÁREZ SANDÍN, JUAN CARLOS; IGARZABAL, MARCELO; ERHARDT, JULIAN; MERCURI, DANIEL; VALDA, ALEJANDRO A.; MINSKY, DANIEL M.; DEBRAY, MARIO E.; SOMACAL, HECTOR R.; CAPOULAT, MARÍA EUGENIA; HERRERA, MARÍA S.; DEL GROSSO, MARIELA F.; GAGETTI, LEONARDO; ANZORENA, MANUEL SUAREZ; CANEPA, NICOLAS; REAL, NICOLAS; GUN, MARCELO; TACCA, HERNÁN

Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy

Urban and Partner

Año: 2016 vol. 21 p. 95 - 101

1507-1367

Aim: This work aims at giving an updated report of the worldwide status of Accelerator-Based BNCT (AB-BNCT). Background: There is a generalized perception that the availability of accelerators installed in hospitals, as neutron sources, may be crucial for the advancement of BNCT. Accordingly, in recent years a significant effort has started to develop such machines. Materials and methods: A variety of possible charged-particle induced nuclear reactions and the characteristics of the resulting neutron spectra are discussed along with the worldwide activity in suitable accelerator development. Results: Endothermic 7Li(p,n)7Be and 9Be(p,n)9B and exothermic 9Be(d,n)10B are compared. In addition to having much better thermo-mechanical properties than Li, Be as a target leads to stable products. This is a significant advantage for a hospital-based facility. 9Be(p,n)9B needs at least 4-5 MeV bombarding energy to have a sufficient yield, while 9Be(d,n)10B can be utilized at about 1.4 MeV, implying the smallest possible accelerator. This reaction operating with a thin target can produce a sufficiently soft spectrum to be viable for AB-BNCT. The machines considered are electrostatic single ended or tandem accelerators or radiofrequency quadrupoles plus drift tube Linacs. Conclusions: 7Li(p,n)7Be provides one of the best solutions for the production of epithermal neutron beams for deep-seated tumors. However, a Li-based target poses significant technological challenges. Hence, Be has been considered as an alternative target, both in combination with (p,n) and (d,n) reactions. 9Be(d,n)10B at 1.4 MeV, with a thin target has been shown to be a realistic option for the treatment of deep-seated lesions.