Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Boron neutron capture theory (BNCT) is an innovative method of treating tumors by selectively irradiating cancer cells that have accumulated boron compounds. Given that BNCT is an uncommon treatment modality, there are no widely accepted consensus guidelines regarding beam dosimetry. To date, BNCT has been studied clinically in several disease sites, including GBM, meningioma, head and neck cancers, lung cancers, breast cancers, hepatocellular carcinoma, sarcomas, cutaneous malignancies, extra-mammary Paget's disease, recurrent cancers, pediatric cancers, and metastatic disease. The chapter provides a comprehensive review of the clinical studies for each of these disease sites, as well as a review on the challenges limiting the widespread adoption of BNCT. In a similar study of biodistribution and pharmacokinetics of boron in dogs following administration of boronated porphyrin (BOPP), boron was found to primarily accumulate in the liver, lymph nodes, adrenal, and kidney tissues with very low level accumulation in the brain.