Present status of Accelerator-Based BNCT

ANDRES JUAN KREINER; JAVIER BERGUEIRO; DANIEL CARTELLI; MATIAS BALDO; WALTER CASTELL; JAVIER GOMEZ ASOIA; JAVIER PADULO; DANIEL MERCURI; ALEJANDRO A. VALDA; DANIEL M. MINSKYA,; MARIO E. DEBRAY; HECTOR R. SOMACAL; MARIA E CAPOULAT; MARÍA S. HERRERA; MARIELA F. DEL GROSSO; LEONARDO GAGETTI; MANUEL SUAREZ ANZORENA; NICOLAS CANEPAA,; NICOLAS REAL; MARCELO GUN; HERNÁN TACCA

Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy

Greater Poland Cancer Centre. Published by Elsevier

Año: 2016 vol. 21 p. 95 - 101

Aim: This work aims at giving an updated report of the worldwide status of Accelerator-BasedBNCT (AB-BNCT).Background: There is a generalized perception that the availability of accelerators installedin 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 andthe characteristics of the resulting neutron spectra are discussed along with the worldwideactivity in suitable accelerator development.Results: Endothermic 7Li(p,n)7Be and 9Be(p,n)9B and exothermic 9Be(d,n)10B are compared. Inaddition to having much better thermo-mechanical properties than Li, Be as a target leadsto stable products. This is a significant advantage for a hospital-based facility. 9Be(p,n)9Bneeds at least 4?5 MeV bombarding energy to have a sufficient yield, while 9Be(d,n)10B canbe utilized at about 1.4 MeV, implying the smallest possible accelerator. This reaction operatingwith 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 radiofrequencyquadrupoles plus drift tube Linacs.Conclusions: 7Li(p,n)7Be provides one of the best solutions for the production of epithermalneutron beams for deep-seated tumors. However, a Li-based target poses significanttechnological 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 beenshown to be a realistic option for the treatment of deep-seated lesions.