Critical review, with an optimistic outlook, on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)

Raymond L Moss

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2013.11.109

Critical review, with an optimistic outlook, on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)

Appl Radiat Isot. 2014 Jun:88:2-11. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2013.11.109. Epub 2013 Dec 4.

Author

Raymond L Moss¹

Affiliation

¹ Institute for Energy and Transport, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Westerduinweg 3, 1755 LE, Petten, The Netherlands. Electronic address: Raymond.moss@ec.europa.eu.

PMID: 24355301
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2013.11.109

Abstract

The first BNCT trials took place in the USA in the early 1960's, yet BNCT is still far from mainstream medicine. Nonetheless, in recent years, reported results in the treatment of head and neck cancer and recurrent glioma, coupled with the progress in developing linear accelerators specifically for BNCT applications, have given some optimism to the future of BNCT. This article provides a brief reminder on the ups and downs of the history of BNCT and supports the view that controlled and prospective clinical trials with a modern design will make BNCT an evidence-based treatment modality within the coming decade.

Keywords: Accelerators; BNCT; Boron compounds; Clinical trials.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy / instrumentation*
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy / methods
Boron Neutron Capture Therapy / trends*
Evidence-Based Medicine
Forecasting
Humans
Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
Nuclear Reactors*
Particle Accelerators / instrumentation*
Radiotherapy, Computer-Assisted / trends*