COMPARATIVE-ASSESSMENT OF SINGLE-DOSE AND FRACTIONATED BORON NEUTRON-CAPTURE THERAPY

The effects of fractionating boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) were evaluated in the intracerebral rat 9L gliosarcoma and rat spinal cord models using the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMRR) thermal neutron beam. The amino acid analog p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) was administered prior to each exposure to the thermal neutron beam, The total physical absorbed dose to the tumor during BNCT using BPA was 91% high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, Two tumor doses of 5.2 Gy spaced 48 h apart (n = 14) or three tumor doses of 5.2 Gy, each separated by 48 h (n = 10), produced 50 and 60% long-term (>1 year) survivors, respectively. The outcome of neither the two nor the three fractions of radiation was statistically different from that of the corresponding single-fraction group. In the rat spinal cord,the ED(50) for radiation myelopathy (as indicated by limb paralysis within 7 months) after exposure to the thermal beam alone was 13.6 +/- 0.4 Gy. Dividing the beam-only irradiation into two or four consecutive daily fractions increased the ED(50) to 14.7 +/- 0.2 Gy and 15.5 +/- 0.4 Gy, respectively, Thermal neutron irradiation in the presence of BPA resulted in an ED(50) for myelopathy of 13.8 +/- 0.6 Gy after a single fraction and 14.9 +/- 0.9 Gy after two fractions. An increase in the number of fractions to four resulted in an ED(50) of 14.3 +/- 0.6 Gy, The total physical absorbed dose to the blood in the vasculature of the spinal cord during BNCT using BPA was 80% high-LET radiation. It was observed that fractionation was of minor significance in the amelioration of damage to the normal central nervous system in the rat after boron neutron capture irradiation. (C) 1995 by Radiation Research Society