Studies of recombination chambers filled with nitrogen for BNCT dosimetry

A boron compound is administered intravenously to the patient, in whom it accumulates preferentially in malignant tumour tissues. The tumour is then irradiated with low-energy neutrons produced by a nuclear reactor. The neutrons are moderated in the patient’s sculp and tissues, so mostly they have energy in tumour. Some of the boron atoms absorb neutrons and then, in a very short time, release two heavy charged particles (7Li and 4He) that dissipate most of their energy within the volume of a single cell. This binary process damages the cell involved, while both the boron drug and thermal neutrons alone are to some extent innocuous to tumour and normal tissues. Since the boron concentrates in tumour cells, the cancer can be destroyed, while the adjacent normal brain cells receive an acceptable radiation dose. Until now, clinical trials of BNCT were initiated at a small number of reactors in Europe, the USA and Japan. Advanced studies on BNCT are carried out in Studies of recombination chambers filled with nitrogen for BNCT dosimetry Piotr Tulik, Natalia Golnik