Phantom materials for boron neutron capture therapy.

The aim of this work was to establish which reference phantom material is most suited for dosimetry under reference conditions of neutron beams for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). For this purpose, phantoms of dimensions 15 x 15 x 15 cm3 and 30 x 30 x 30 cm3, composed of water, tissue-equivalent (TE) liquid, polyethylene (PE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and water containing 10 microg g(-1) and 30 microg g(-1) 10B were irradiated using the Petten BNCT beam. Activation foils and a diode detector were used for the determination of the thermal neutron fluence rate.

A fast and accurate treatment planning method for boron neutron capture therapy.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the applicability of conventional semi-empirical algorithms for the treatment planning of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).

Materials And Methods: Beam data of a clinical epithermal BNCT beam obtained in a large cuboid water phantom were introduced into a commercial treatment planning system (TPS). For the calculation of thermal neutron fluence distributions, the Gaussian pencil beam model of the electron beam treatment planning algorithm was used.

Dose monitoring for boron neutron capture therapy using a reactor-based epithermal neutron beam.

The aims of this study were (i) to determine the variation with time of the relevant beam parameters of a clinical reactor-based epithermal neutron beam for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and (ii) to test a monitoring system for its applicability to monitor the dose delivered to the dose specification point in a patient treated with BNCT. For this purpose two fission chambers covered with Cd and two GM counters were positioned in the beam-shaping collimator assembly of the epithermal neutron beam. The monitor count rates were compared with in-phanton reference measurements of the thermal neutron fluence rate, the gamma-ray dose rate and the fast neutron dose rate, at a constant reactor power, over a period of 2 years.

The neutron sensitivity of dosimeters applied to boron neutron capture therapy.

To obtain a high accuracy in the dosimetry of an epithermal neutron beam used for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the neutron sensitivity of dosimeters applied to determine the various dose components in-phantom has been investigated. The thermal neutron sensitivity of Mg(Ar) ionization chambers, TE(TE) ionization chambers, and thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) has been experimentally determined in a "pure" thermal neutron beam. Values much higher than theoretically expected were obtained and a variation up to a factor of 2.