Neutron Capture Therapy


Book Description

Neutron capture therapy (NCT) is based on the ability of the non-radioactive isotope boron-10 to capture thermal neutrons with very high probability and immediately to release heavy particles with a path length of one cell diameter, which in principle allows for tumor cell-selective high-LET particle radiotherapy. This book provides a comprehensive summary of the progress made in NCT in recent years. Individual sections cover all important aspects, including neutron sources, boron chemistry, drugs for NCT, dosimetry, and radiation biology. The use of NCT in a variety of malignancies and also some non-malignant diseases is extensively discussed. NCT is clearly shown to be a promising modality at the threshold of wider clinical application. All of the chapters are written by experienced specialists in language that will be readily understood by all participating disciplines.




Frontiers in Neutron Capture Therapy


Book Description

Frontiers in Neutron Capture Therapy contains current research results originally presented at the Eighth International Symposium on Neutron Capture Therapy for Cancer in La Jolla, CA. This comprehensive collection of peer-reviewed manuscripts is showcased in two volumes covering all aspects of the development of this multidisciplinary approach to cancer therapy. Volume I of this work includes clinical results and current progress in treatment planning, neutron sources and dosimetry, while Volume II presents the synthesis, pharmacology and tissue-targeting design of boron compounds, including work on preclinical dosimetry and radiobiology. Intended for researchers and clinicians involved with or interested in new modes of cancer therapy, this volume will also serve as a useful guideline for scientists, students, and practitioners in the field.




Boron-Based Compounds


Book Description

Noted experts review the current status of boron-containing drugs and materials for molecular medical diagnostics Boron-Based Compounds offers a summary of the present status and promotes the further development of new boron-containing drugs and advanced materials, mostly boron clusters, for molecular medical diagnostics. The knowledge accumulated during the past decades on the chemistry and biology of bioorganic and organometallic boron compounds laid the foundation for the emergence of a new area of study and application of boron compounds as lipophilic pharmacophores and modulators of biologically active molecules.This important text brings together in one comprehensive volume contributions from renowned experts in the field of medicinal chemistry of boron compounds. The authors cover a range of the most relevant topics including boron compounds as modulators of the bioactivity of biomolecules, boron clusters as pharmacophores or for drug delivery, boron compounds for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and for diagnostics, as well as in silico molecular modeling of boron- and carborane-containing compounds in drug design. Authoritative and accessible, Boron-Based Compounds: Contains contributions from a panel of internationally renowned experts in the field Offers a concise summary of the current status of boron-containing drugs and materials used for molecular diagnostics Highlights the range and capacity of boron-based compounds in medical applications Includes information on boron neutron capture therapy and diagnostics Designed for academic and industrial scientists, this important resource offers the cutting-edge information needed to understand the current state of boron-containing drugs and materials for molecular medical diagnostics.




Boron And Gadolinium Neutron Capture Therapy For Cancer Treatment


Book Description

The book focuses on two concurrent experimental therapies in cancer treatment known as boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and gadolinium neutron capture therapy (GdNCT) using a variety of boron- and gadolinium-based compounds. Some of the gadolinium compounds serve the dual purpose as being MRI contrast agents and GdNCT agents. The book describes why BNCT & GdNCT were not at the forefront of the clinical trials during the past seven to eight decades since the discovery of neutrons by John Chadwick in 1932 and how the latest development in the synthesis of target boron- and gadolinium-based drugs has turned the area into the hottest one worthy of further investigation with the new clinical trials in the USA and elsewhere.




Advances in Neutron Capture Therapy


Book Description

Binary systems for the treatment of cancer potentially are among the most attractive of the new therapeutic modalities that currently are under investigation. The basicconcept is to selectivelydestroy malignantcells whileconcomitantlysparing normal tissue. Neutron capture therapy (NCT) is the binary system that has been the subject of the Fifth International Symposium on Neutron Capture Therapy, which was held September13-17, 1992, in Columbus, Ohio, undertheauspicesoftheInternational Society for Neutron Capture Therapy. Its objective was to bring together researchers from throughout the world and to provide a forum at which they could present the latest advances in the development of Neutron capture therapy. Neutron capture therapy has largely, but not exclusively, focused on the use of boron-10 as the target nuclide. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is based on the nuclear reaction that occurs when the stable isotope, boron-10, absorbs low-energy non ionizing thermal neutrons to yield alphaparticles and recoiling lithium-7 nuclei. The size and energy of these high linear energy transfer (LET) particles result in their being confined largely to the cells in which the capture reaction occurs. For BNCT to be successful, a sufficient numberof I~atoms mustbe localized within neoplastic cells, and enough thermal neutrons must be delivered and absorbed by the I~ to produce a lethal 1~(n,QVLi reaction. Two major problems must be surmounted.




Advances in Neutron Capture Therapy


Book Description

Binary systems for the treatment of cancer potentially are among the most attractive of the new therapeutic modalities that currently are under investigation. The basicconcept is to selectivelydestroy malignantcells whileconcomitantlysparing normal tissue. Neutron capture therapy (NCT) is the binary system that has been the subject of the Fifth International Symposium on Neutron Capture Therapy, which was held September13-17, 1992, in Columbus, Ohio, undertheauspicesoftheInternational Society for Neutron Capture Therapy. Its objective was to bring together researchers from throughout the world and to provide a forum at which they could present the latest advances in the development of Neutron capture therapy. Neutron capture therapy has largely, but not exclusively, focused on the use of boron-10 as the target nuclide. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is based on the nuclear reaction that occurs when the stable isotope, boron-10, absorbs low-energy non ionizing thermal neutrons to yield alphaparticles and recoiling lithium-7 nuclei. The size and energy of these high linear energy transfer (LET) particles result in their being confined largely to the cells in which the capture reaction occurs. For BNCT to be successful, a sufficient numberof I~atoms mustbe localized within neoplastic cells, and enough thermal neutrons must be delivered and absorbed by the I~ to produce a lethal 1~(n,QVLi reaction. Two major problems must be surmounted.




Intense Neutron Sources


Book Description




Proton Therapy Physics


Book Description

Proton Therapy Physics goes beyond current books on proton therapy to provide an in-depth overview of the physics aspects of this radiation therapy modality, eliminating the need to dig through information scattered in the medical physics literature. After tracing the history of proton therapy, the book summarizes the atomic and nuclear physics background necessary for understanding proton interactions with tissue. It describes the physics of proton accelerators, the parameters of clinical proton beams, and the mechanisms to generate a conformal dose distribution in a patient. The text then covers detector systems and measuring techniques for reference dosimetry, outlines basic quality assurance and commissioning guidelines, and gives examples of Monte Carlo simulations in proton therapy. The book moves on to discussions of treatment planning for single- and multiple-field uniform doses, dose calculation concepts and algorithms, and precision and uncertainties for nonmoving and moving targets. It also examines computerized treatment plan optimization, methods for in vivo dose or beam range verification, the safety of patients and operating personnel, and the biological implications of using protons from a physics perspective. The final chapter illustrates the use of risk models for common tissue complications in treatment optimization. Along with exploring quality assurance issues and biological considerations, this practical guide collects the latest clinical studies on the use of protons in treatment planning and radiation monitoring. Suitable for both newcomers in medical physics and more seasoned specialists in radiation oncology, the book helps readers understand the uncertainties and limitations of precisely shaped dose distribution.




Compendium of Neutron Spectra and Detector Responses for Radiation Protection Purposes


Book Description

This publication is an update of Technical Report Series No. 318, Compendium of Neutron Spectra and Detector Responses for Radiation Protection Purposes (1990), that takes into account the major changes in the recommended energy dependence of risk related quantities, the increased importance of high neutron energies, the increased use of boron neutron capture therapy, promising new developments in detector design, new measured workplace spectra and improved calibration facilities. It includes the fluence to dose equivalent conversion coefficients for the recently recommended radiation protection quantities and a large number of fluence response functions for recently developed or improved detectors, as well as over 200 new spectra.




Brachytherapy


Book Description

Written by the foremost experts in the field, this volume is a comprehensive text and practical reference on contemporary brachytherapy. The book provides detailed, site-specific information on applications and techniques of brachytherapy in the head and neck, central nervous system, breast, thorax, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary tract, as well as on gynecologic brachytherapy, low dose rate and high dose rate sarcoma brachytherapy, vascular brachytherapy, and pediatric applications. The book thoroughly describes and compares the four major techniques used in brachytherapy—intracavity, interstitial, surface-dose or mold therapy, and transluminal. Chapters detail particular techniques that are appropriate in specific clinical situations.