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Boron Neutron Capture Therapy of a Murine Melanoma¹

Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973 [J. A. C., J. A. K-E., R. G. F., P. L. M., J. D. G.]; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029 [J. D. G.]; Department of Radiation Oncology, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York 11794 [L. E. R.]; and University of Ioannina, Medical School, Medical Physics Laboratory, Ioannina, Greece [J. A. K-E.]

Boron neutron capture therapy has been carried out on BALB/c mice carrying the Harding-Passey melanoma s.c. on the thigh. p-Boronophenylalanine (BPA), a boronated analogue of natural melanin precursors, was used to target boron selectively to melanoma. BPA was administered to the mice either via i.p. injection or p.o. by intubation. ¹⁰B concentrations in tumor ranged from 15 to 40 ppm depending on the route and timing of administration. Irradiations with a predominantly thermal neutron beam were performed at the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor. In the absence of BPA, only transient tumor growth delays were observed at low neutron fluences. At 5 x 10¹⁶ n/m², 4 of 22 tumors irradiated in the absence of BPA underwent long-term tumor growth control; after p.o. administration of BPA (40 ppm ¹⁰B in the tumor), the fraction of tumors controlled increased to 11 of 19. The average dose to the tumor in the latter group was 17.8 Gy, of which 14.8 Gy were due to the ¹⁰B neutron capture reaction. The biological effectiveness of the absorbed dose from the neutron capture reaction, at the 50% tumor control level, was found to be twice that of 100 kVp X-rays.

¹ This work was supported in part by Grants CA42446 (J. A. C.) and DK10080 (J. D. G.) form the NIH and by Contract DE-AC02-76CH00016 with the United States Department of Energy. Accordingly the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution or allow others to do so for United States Government purposes.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 12/14/87. Revised 7/12/88. Accepted 8/15/88.