Present status of Accelerator-Based BNCT

A.J.KREINER; J. BERGUEIRO; D. CARTELLI; M. BALDO; W. CASTELL; J. GOMEZ ASOIA; J. PADULO; J.C. SUAREZ SANDIN; M. IGARZABAL; J. ERHARDT; D. MERCURI; A. VALDA; D. MINSKY; M.DEBRAY; H.SOMACAL; M.E.CAPOULAT; M. HERRERA; M.F. DEL GROSSO; L. GAGETTI; M. SUAREZ ANZORENA; N. CANEPA; N. REAL; M. GUN; H. TACCA

Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy

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Lugar: AMSTERDAM; Año: 2016 vol. 21 p. 95 - 101

1507-1367

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: Endothermic7Li(p,n)7Be and9Be(p,n)9B and exothermic9Be(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, while9Be(d,n)10B canbe utilized at about 1.4 MeV, implying the smallest possible accelerator. This reaction oper-ating 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 radiofre-quency quadrupoles plus drift tube Linacs.Conclusions:7Li(p,n)7Be provides one of the best solutions for the production of epither-mal neutron beams for deep-seated tumors. However, a Li-based target poses significanttechnological challenges. Hence, Be has been considered as an alternative target, both incombination 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.