The Development of a Commercial Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Facility: establishing a clinically useable facility at Birmingham University

癌细胞渗入周围健康组织的肿瘤特别难以治疗，目前预后相当差。这种类型的癌症的一个例子是多形性胶质母细胞瘤(GBM)，这是最常见的原发恶性脑瘤，仅在英国每年就有大约2000人受到影响。尽管最近在治疗方面有所改进，但这基本上仍然是无法治愈的。本项目的主题是硼中子俘获疗法(BNCT)，它是癌症放射治疗的一种形式，看起来特别适合治疗这种类型的肿瘤。在这项研究中，一种硼的同位素--硼-10被注入患者体内，使其在癌细胞中积聚。在与热中子发生反应之前，硼-10是稳定和无害的。这种反应的产物摧毁了产生它们的癌细胞。一旦硼-10积累起来，治疗就会通过一束中子穿过肿瘤，从而摧毁大多数癌细胞。其余的可以用标准的放射治疗。最近在日本对这种疗法的研究显示出非常有希望的结果。该项目的目的是为伯明翰大学和伯明翰伊丽莎白女王医院的BNCT设施创造一个技术驱动程序。这将分两个阶段完成：第一个阶段确定实现这一目标所需对现有设施的改变，第二个阶段实施这些改变。一旦完成，这将被用于进行该疗法的临床试验，以证明其对多种癌症的有效性。在以后的阶段，该驱动程序还将用于设计BNCT设施，该设施可以商业建造，并用于英国和其他地方的其他大型放射治疗部门。

Tumours in which the cancerous cells infiltrate the surrounding healthy tissue are particularly difficult to treat and currently have a rather poor prognosis. An example of such a type of cancer is a glio-blastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common form of primary, malignant brain tumour, which afflicts around 2000 people per year in the UK alone. Despite recent improvements in treatment, this essentially remains incurable. Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), the subject of this project, is a form of cancer radiotherapy and looks particularly well-suited to treating this type of tumour. In this, an isotope of boron, boron-10, is administered to the patient in such a way that it accumulates in the cancerous cells. Boron-10 is stable and harmless, until it reacts with thermal neutrons. The products of this reaction destroy the cancerous cells in which they are created. The treatment then proceeds by passing a beam of neutrons though the tumour once the boron-10 has accumulated, thereby destroying most of the cancer cells. The remainder can be treated with standard radiotherapy. Recent studies of this therapy in Japan have shown very promising results. The aim of this project is to create a technology driver for a BNCT facility in Birmingham University and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. This will be done in two phases: the first determining the changes required to an existing facility to deliver this and the second implementing them. Once complete, this will be used to undertake clinical trials of the therapy to demonstrate its effectiveness for a number of types of cancer. At a later stage, this driver will also be used to design a BNCT facility that can be constructed commercially and used in other large radiotherapy departments in the UK and elsewhere.