Microdosimetric study of (sup 10)B(n,(alpha))(sup 7)Li and (sup 157)Gd(n,(gamma)) reactions for neutron capture therapy

摘要

This paper presents the microdosimetric analysis for the most interesting cell survival experiment recently performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). In this experiment, the cells were first treated with a gadolinium (Gd) labeled tumor-seeking boronated porphyrin (Gd-BOPP) or with BOPP alone, and then irradiated with thermal neutrons. The resulting cell survival curves indicate that the (sup 157)Gd(n,(gamma)) reactions is very effective in cell killing. The death of a cell treated with GD-BOPP were attributed to either the (sup 10)B(n,(alpha)) (sup 7)Li reactions or the (sup 157)Gd(n,(gamma)) reactions (or both). However, the quantitative relationship between the two types of reaction and the cell survival fraction was not clear. This paper presents the microdosimetric analysis for the BNL experiment based on the measured experimental parameters, and the results clearly suggest a quantitative relationship between the two types of reaction and the cell survival fraction. The results also suggest new research in Gadolinium neutron capture therapy (GDNCT) which may lead to a more practical modality than the boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for treating cancers.