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G. Adlys / Medical Physics in the Baltic States 7 (2009) 86 - 90<br />

The values of total cross-section for stable boron and<br />

gadolinium nuclides corresponding to three different<br />

neutron energies are presented in Table 1.<br />

Table1. Total cross-section values, barns (1 b = 1⋅10 -24<br />

cm 2 )<br />

Nuclide Thermal<br />

neutrons<br />

0.025 eV<br />

Fission<br />

neutrons<br />

Fusion<br />

neutrons,<br />

14 MeV<br />

B10 3840 2.638 1.467<br />

B11 5.05 2.425 1.415<br />

Gd152 1070 7.003 5.699<br />

Gd154 92.35 6.981 5.697<br />

Gd155 60948 6.981 5.694<br />

Gd156 6.995 6.983 5.694<br />

Gd157 255085 6.979 5.696<br />

Gd158 6.354 6.978 5.694<br />

Gd160 4.904 6.983 5.699<br />

It is clearly seen that the biggest neutron interaction<br />

cross-section is for thermal neutrons (first column)<br />

interacting with nuclides 10 B, 155 Gd, 157 Gd.<br />

The reaction products are gamma photons, protons,<br />

alpha particles. The corresponding reactions are (n,γ),<br />

(n,p), (n,α). The values of above-mentioned reactions<br />

cross-sections for thermal neutrons are presented in<br />

Table 2.<br />

Table2. Reaction cross-section (0.025 eV), barns<br />

Reaction B10 Gd155 Gd157<br />

(n,γ) 5.00E-03 60889 254078<br />

(n,α) 3.84E+03 8.18E-05 4.78E-04<br />

(n, p) 3.00E-03 0 0<br />

Analysis of reaction cross-section values and<br />

comparison with values of total cross-section shows that<br />

for 10 B nucleus alpha particle emission has 99.9 %<br />

probability and very small gamma photon and proton<br />

emission probability.<br />

During the neutron capture reaction nucleus of Boron<br />

10<br />

B absorbs neutron and two charged particles are<br />

produced:<br />

10<br />

4 7<br />

B + n → He + Li<br />

Inverse situation is for thermal neutron capture by<br />

Gadolinium reaction. Probability of alpha emission<br />

during reaction with neutrons is very small. Almost all<br />

reactions are radiative neutron absorption which<br />

produces γ photons and higher gadolinium isotopes:<br />

155<br />

156<br />

Gd + n → Gd + γ<br />

157<br />

158<br />

Gd + n → Gd + γ<br />

New reaction products 156 Gd and 158 Gd are stable.<br />

At present, the most studied and used in clinical practice<br />

is Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). This method<br />

is based on the radiation damage produced by high LET<br />

particles (α and 7 Li) emitted in the 10 B neutron capture<br />

10<br />

7<br />

reaction: B(<br />

n,α<br />

) Li . The total kinetic energy of<br />

charged particles produced is approximately 2,4 MeV.<br />

A range of these charged particles in a tissue is<br />

88<br />

approximately of the order of the size of tumor cell.<br />

These high linear energy transfer particles dissipate<br />

their kinetic energy in the cell. As a result, the cell<br />

comprising 10 B during neutron irradiation is effectively<br />

destroyed. Because of higher concentration of 10 B<br />

isotope in the tumor cells mainly the cancer cells are<br />

destroyed. Thus, the basic idea of BNCT is that a<br />

neutron ,,finds” out the tumor cells and destroys them<br />

[4]. Therefore, selective delivery of boron and high<br />

accumulation into tumor tissue achieving the range of<br />

20-35 μg g -1 are the most important requirements for<br />

efficient neutron capture therapy of cancer [7]. It could<br />

be realized using specific borated compounds. 10 B<br />

isotope compose only one fifth from total naturally<br />

occurring boron mass. Therefore the boron containing<br />

compounds are 10 B enriched and synthesized. If<br />

introduces into the patient’s blood this compound<br />

produces 10 B isotope in the tumor cell with a<br />

concentration of 30 μg g -1 while the concentration of<br />

boron in surrounding normal tissue cells is<br />

approximately 10 μg g -1 [2].<br />

5. The requirement for the neutron beam for<br />

neutron therapy<br />

The use of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for<br />

the treatment of deep-sealed tumors requires neutron<br />

beams of suitable energy and intensity [8].<br />

The thermal neutrons are most intensively absorbed by<br />

10 B, but they weakly penetrate the tissue and therefore<br />

produce the major radiation load on the surface layers,<br />

primarily on the skin. If the cancer tumor is located<br />

under the normal tissue at the depth of 30-70 mm,<br />

neutron energy should be ranged from 1 eV to a few<br />

tens of keV [8]. This is the energy range of epithermal<br />

neutrons, just above thermal. Epithermal neutrons<br />

passing through the normal tissue layers are slowing<br />

down, gradually establishing thermal equilibrium with a<br />

tissue. It results in the peak of the thermal neutron flux<br />

in the deep tissue and could provide the maximum of<br />

absorbed dose in the irradiated deep scatter tumors.<br />

Fast neutrons as compared to epithermal neutrons<br />

produce radiation effects in the tissue by recoiling<br />

protons and have no selective character.<br />

The required absorbed radiation dose in a single<br />

treatment and desirable exposition duration are the<br />

factors for choosing of the intensity of a neutron beam.<br />

It was shown [8] that for10 min exposition, for attaining<br />

an absorbed dose of 20 Gy in the tumor with the 10 B<br />

concentration of 30 μg g -1 the required epithermal<br />

neutron flux has to be from the range of (0,5-1)x10 10<br />

cm -2 s -1 . If neutron flux is reduced than to attain the<br />

same absorbed dose it is possible by an increase in 10 B<br />

concentration in the tumor or by the extension of the<br />

irradiation time. However it is to point out, that the<br />

absorbed dose produced by fast neutrons and by<br />

accompanying gamma-rays should non exceed 10 % of<br />

the therapeutical dose, i.e. 2 Gy.<br />

The neutron spectrum for fast neutron therapy should be<br />

similar to the neutron spectrum of uranium fission [2].<br />

In this case a fraction of neutrons with the energy over

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