Feasibility of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) for malignant pleural mesothelioma from a viewpoint of dose distribution analysis

International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 2006 Oct 20; [Epub ahead of print] [Link]

Suzuki M, Sakurai Y, Masunaga S, Kinashi Y, Nagata K, Maruhashi A, Ono K.

Particle Oncology Research Center, Osaka, Japan

Received 19 April 2006;  revised 11 August 2006;  accepted 16 August 2006.  Available online 23 October 2006.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) from a viewpoint of dose distribution analysis using Simulation Environment for Radiotherapy Applications (SERA), a currently available BNCT treatment planning system.

Methods and Materials: The BNCT treatment plans were constructed for 3 patients with MPM using the SERA system, with 2 opposed anterior–posterior beams. The ¹⁰B concentrations in the tumor and normal lung in this study were assumed to be 84 and 24 ppm, respectively, and were derived from data observed in clinical trials. The maximum, mean, and minimum doses to the tumors and the normal lung were assessed for each plan. The doses delivered to 5% and 95% of the tumor volume, D₀₅ and D₉₅, were adopted as the representative dose for the maximum and minimum dose, respectively.

Results: When the D₀₅ to the normal ipsilateral lung was 5 Gy-Eq, the D₉₅ and mean doses delivered to the normal lung were 2.2–3.6 and 3.5–4.2 Gy-Eq, respectively. The mean doses delivered to the tumors were 22.4–27.2 Gy-Eq. The D₀₅ and D₉₅ doses to the tumors were 9.6–15.0 and 31.5–39.5 Gy-Eq, respectively.

Conclusions: From a viewpoint of the dose–distribution analysis, BNCT has the possibility to be a promising treatment for MPM patients who are inoperable because of age and other medical illnesses.

Keywords: Boron neutron capture therapy; Malignant pleural mesothelioma