Development of a Tandem-ElectroStatic-Quadrupole accelerator facility for BNCT

A. KREINER; V. THATAR VENTO; P. LEVINAS; J. BERGUEIRO; H. DI PAOLO; A.A. BURLON; J.M. KESQUE; A.A. VALDA; M.E. DEBRAY; H.R. SOMACAL; D.M. MINSKY; L. ESTRADA; A. HAZARABEDIAN; F. JOHANN; J.C. SUAREZ SANDIN; J. DAVIDSON; M. DAVIDSON; Y. GIBOUDOT; M. REPETTO; M. OBLIGADO; J.P. NERY; H. HUCK; M. IGARZABAL; A. FERNANDEZ SALARES

Buenos Aires, Argentina. Exposición mural

Congreso; 12th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association; 2008

International Radiation Protection Association - Sociedad Argentina de Radiología

There is a generalized perception that the availability of suitable particle accelerators installed in hospitals, as neutron sources, may be crucial for the advancement of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). An ongoing project to develop a Tandem-ElectroStatic-Quadrupole (TESQ) accelerator facility for Accelerator-Based (AB)-BNCT is described here. The project goal is a machine capable of delivering 30 mA of 2.4-2.5 MeV protons to be used in conjunction with a neutron production target based on the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction slightly beyond its resonance at 2.25 MeV. A folded tandem, with 1.20-1.25 MV terminal voltage, combined with an ESQ chain is being designed and constructed. This machine is conceptually shown to be capable of accelerating a 30 mA proton beam to 2.5 MeV. These are the specifications needed to produce sufficiently intense and clean epithermal neutron beams, based on the 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction, to perform BNCT treatment for deep-seated tumors in less than an hour. This electrostatic machine is one of the technologically simplest and cheapest solutions for optimized AB-BNCT. At present there is no BNCT facility in the world with the characteristics presented in this work. For the accelerator, results on its design, construction and beam transport calculations are discussed. Taking into account the peculiarities of the expected irradiation field, the project also considers a specific study of the treatment room. This study aims at the design of the treatment room emphasizing aspects related to patient, personnel and public radiation protection; dose monitoring; patient positioning and room construction. The design considers both thermal (for the treatment of shallow tumors) and epithermal (for deep-seated tumors) neutron beams entering the room through a port connected to the accelerator via a moderation and neutron beam shaping assembly. Preliminary results of dose calculations for the treatment room design, using the MCNP program, are presented.