1
|
Morselli L, Donzella A, Arzenton A, Asti M, Bortolussi S, Corradetti S, D’Agostino G, Di Luzio M, Ferrari M, Gandini A, Lunardon M, Villa V, Salvini A, Zangrando L, Zenoni A, Andrighetto A. Production and characterization of 111Ag radioisotope for medical use in a TRIGA Mark II nuclear research reactor. Appl Radiat Isot 2023; 197:110798. [PMID: 37028101 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Radio Pharmaceutical Therapy (RPT) comes forth as a promising technique to treat a wide range of tumors while ensuring low collateral damage to nearby healthy tissues. This kind of cancer therapy exploits the radiation following the decay of a specific radionuclide to deliver a lethal dose to tumor tissues. In the framework of the ISOLPHARM project of INFN, 111Ag was recently proposed as a promising core of a therapeutic radiopharmaceutical. In this paper, the production of 111Ag via neutron activation of 110Pd-enriched samples inside a TRIGA Mark II nuclear research reactor is studied. The radioisotope production is modeled using two different Monte Carlo codes (MCNPX and PHITS) and a stand-alone inventory calculation code FISPACT-II, with different cross section data libraries. The whole process is simulated starting from an MCNP6-based reactor model producing the neutron spectrum and flux in the selected irradiation facility. Moreover, a cost-effective, robust and easy-to-use spectroscopic system, based on a Lanthanum Bromo-Chloride (LBC) inorganic scintillator, is designed and characterized, with the aim of using it, in the future, for the quality control of the ISOLPHARM irradiated targets at the SPES facility of the Legnaro National Laboratories of INFN. natPd and 110Pd-enriched samples are irradiated in the reactor main irradiation facility and spectroscopically characterized using the LBC-based setup and a multiple-fit analysis procedure. Experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions of the developed models, showing that inaccuracies in the available cross section libraries prevent an accurate reproduction of the generated radioisotope activities. Nevertheless, models are normalized to our experimental data allowing for a reliable planning of the 111Ag production in a TRIGA Mark II reactor.
Collapse
|
2
|
Bortolussi S, Postuma I, Protti N, Fatemi S, Magni C, Gonzalez S, Altieri S. EP-1885 Neutron beam design and dosimetric evaluation for accelerator-based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. Radiother Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(19)32305-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
3
|
Protti N, Alberti D, Toppino A, Bortolussi S, Altieri S, Deagostino A, Aime S, Geninatti-Crich S. OC-0587 Preclinical studies of MRI guided BNCT at Torino and Pavia Universities. Radiother Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(19)31007-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
4
|
González SJ, Pozzi ECC, Monti Hughes A, Provenzano L, Koivunoro H, Carando DG, Thorp SI, Casal MR, Bortolussi S, Trivillin VA, Garabalino MA, Curotto P, Heber EM, Santa Cruz GA, Kankaanranta L, Joensuu H, Schwint AE. Photon iso-effective dose for cancer treatment with mixed field radiation based on dose–response assessment from human and an animal model: clinical application to boron neutron capture therapy for head and neck cancer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 62:7938-7958. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aa8986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
|
5
|
Farías RO, Garabalino MA, Ferraris S, Santa María J, Rovati O, Lange F, Trivillin VA, Monti Hughes A, Pozzi ECC, Thorp SI, Curotto P, Miller ME, Santa Cruz GA, Bortolussi S, Altieri S, Portu AM, Saint Martin G, Schwint AE, González SJ. Toward a clinical application of ex situ boron neutron capture therapy for lung tumors at the RA-3 reactor in Argentina. Med Phys 2016; 42:4161-73. [PMID: 26133616 DOI: 10.1118/1.4922158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Many types of lung tumors have a very poor prognosis due to their spread in the whole organ volume. The fact that boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) would allow for selective targeting of all the nodules regardless of their position, prompted a preclinical feasibility study of ex situ BNCT at the thermal neutron facility of RA-3 reactor in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. (l)-4p-dihydroxy-borylphenylalanine fructose complex (BPA-F) biodistribution studies in an adult sheep model and computational dosimetry for a human explanted lung were performed to evaluate the feasibility and the therapeutic potential of ex situ BNCT. METHODS Two kinds of boron biodistribution studies were carried out in the healthy sheep: a set of pharmacokinetic studies without lung excision, and a set that consisted of evaluation of boron concentration in the explanted and perfused lung. In order to assess the feasibility of the clinical application of ex situ BNCT at RA-3, a case of multiple lung metastases was analyzed. A detailed computational representation of the geometry of the lung was built based on a real collapsed human lung. Dosimetric calculations and dose limiting considerations were based on the experimental results from the adult sheep, and on the most suitable information published in the literature. In addition, a workable treatment plan was considered to assess the clinical application in a realistic scenario. RESULTS Concentration-time profiles for the normal sheep showed that the boron kinetics in blood, lung, and skin would adequately represent the boron behavior and absolute uptake expected in human tissues. Results strongly suggest that the distribution of the boron compound is spatially homogeneous in the lung. A constant lung-to-blood ratio of 1.3 ± 0.1 was observed from 80 min after the end of BPA-F infusion. The fact that this ratio remains constant during time would allow the blood boron concentration to be used as a surrogate and indirect quantification of the estimated value in the explanted healthy lung. The proposed preclinical animal model allowed for the study of the explanted lung. As expected, the boron concentration values fell as a result of the application of the preservation protocol required to preserve the lung function. The distribution of the boron concentration retention factor was obtained for healthy lung, with a mean value of 0.46 ± 0.14 consistent with that reported for metastatic colon carcinoma model in rat perfused lung. Considering the human lung model and suitable tumor control probability for lung cancer, a promising average fraction of controlled lesions higher than 85% was obtained even for a low tumor-to-normal boron concentration ratio of 2. CONCLUSIONS This work reports for the first time data supporting the validity of the ovine model as an adequate human surrogate in terms of boron kinetics and uptake in clinically relevant tissues. Collectively, the results and analysis presented would strongly suggest that ex situ whole lung BNCT irradiation is a feasible and highly promising technique that could greatly contribute to the treatment of metastatic lung disease in those patients without extrapulmonary spread, increasing not only the expected overall survival but also the resulting quality of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R O Farías
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1033, Argentina
| | - M A Garabalino
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - S Ferraris
- CIDME, Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires 1405, Argentina
| | - J Santa María
- CIDME, Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires 1405, Argentina
| | - O Rovati
- CIDME, Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires 1405, Argentina
| | - F Lange
- CIDME, Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires 1405, Argentina
| | - V A Trivillin
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1033, Argentina
| | - A Monti Hughes
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - E C C Pozzi
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - S I Thorp
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - P Curotto
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - M E Miller
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - G A Santa Cruz
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - S Bortolussi
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - S Altieri
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Pavia 27100, Italy and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - A M Portu
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1033, Argentina
| | - G Saint Martin
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina
| | - A E Schwint
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1033, Argentina
| | - S J González
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), San Martín 1650, Argentina and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires 1033, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ballarini F, Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Carante M, Giroletti E, Protti N. The role of DNA cluster damage and chromosome aberrations in radiation-induced cell killing: a theoretical approach. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 2015; 166:75-79. [PMID: 25877543 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncv135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The role played by DNA cluster damage and chromosome aberrations in radiation-induced cell killing was investigated, assuming that certain chromosome aberrations (dicentrics, rings and large deletions, or 'lethal aberrations') lead to clonogenic inactivation and that chromosome aberrations are due to micrometre-scale rejoining of chromosome fragments derived from DNA cluster lesions (CLs). The CL yield and the threshold distance governing fragment rejoining were left as model parameters. The model, implemented as a Monte Carlo code called BIANCA (BIophysical ANalysis of Cell death and chromosome Aberrations), provided simulated survival curves that were compared with survival data on AG1522 and V79 cells exposed to different radiation types, including heavy ions. The agreement between simulation outcomes and experimental data suggests that lethal aberrations are likely to play an important role in cell killing not only for AG1522 cells exposed to X rays, as already reported by others, but also for other radiation types and other cells. Furthermore, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that the critical DNA lesions leading to cell death and chromosome aberrations are double-strand break clusters (possibly involving the ∼1000-10 000 bp scale) and that the effects of such clusters are modulated by micrometre-scale proximity effects during DNA damage processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Ballarini
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, and INFN, Sezione di Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia, Italy
| | - S Altieri
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, and INFN, Sezione di Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia, Italy
| | - S Bortolussi
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, and INFN, Sezione di Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia, Italy
| | - M Carante
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, and INFN, Sezione di Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia, Italy
| | - E Giroletti
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, and INFN, Sezione di Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia, Italy
| | - N Protti
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, and INFN, Sezione di Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Protti N, Geninatti-Crich S, Alberti D, Lanzardo S, Deagostino A, Toppino A, Aime S, Ballarini F, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P, Postuma I, Altieri S, Nikjoo H. Evaluation of the dose enhancement of combined ¹⁰B + ¹⁵⁷Gd neutron capture therapy (NCT). Radiat Prot Dosimetry 2015; 166:369-73. [PMID: 26246584 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncv300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
An innovative molecule, GdBLDL, for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) has been developed and its effectiveness as a BNCT carrier is currently under evaluation using in vivo experiments on small animal tumour models. The molecule contains both (10)B (the most commonly used NCT agent) and (157)Gd nuclei. (157)Gd is the second most studied element to perform NCT, mainly thanks to its high cross section for the capture of low-energy neutrons. The main drawback of (157)Gd neutron capture reaction is the very short range and low-energy secondary charged particles (Auger electrons), which requires (157)Gd to be very close to the cellular DNA to have an appreciable biological effect. Treatment doses were calculated by Monte Carlo simulations to ensure the optimised tumour irradiation and the sparing of the healthy organs of the irradiated animals. The enhancement of the absorbed dose due to the simultaneous presence of (10)B and (157)Gd in the experimental set-up was calculated and the advantage introduced by the presence of (157)Gd was discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N Protti
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy National Institute of Nuclear Physics INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - S Geninatti-Crich
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, via Nizza 52, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - D Alberti
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, via Nizza 52, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - S Lanzardo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, via Nizza 52, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - A Deagostino
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, via P.Giuria 7, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - A Toppino
- Department of Chemistry, University of Torino, via P.Giuria 7, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - S Aime
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Torino, via Nizza 52, Torino 10126, Italy
| | - F Ballarini
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy National Institute of Nuclear Physics INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - S Bortolussi
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy National Institute of Nuclear Physics INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - P Bruschi
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - I Postuma
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy National Institute of Nuclear Physics INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - S Altieri
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy National Institute of Nuclear Physics INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - H Nikjoo
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm SE171 76, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Carante MP, Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Postuma I, Protti N, Ballarini F. Modeling radiation-induced cell death: role of different levels of DNA damage clustering. Radiat Environ Biophys 2015; 54:305-316. [PMID: 25956821 DOI: 10.1007/s00411-015-0601-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Some open questions on the mechanisms underlying radiation-induced cell death were addressed by a biophysical model, focusing on DNA damage clustering and its consequences. DNA "cluster lesions" (CLs) were assumed to produce independent chromosome fragments that, if created within a micrometer-scale threshold distance (d), can lead to chromosome aberrations following mis-rejoining; in turn, certain aberrations (dicentrics, rings and large deletions) were assumed to lead to clonogenic cell death. The CL yield and d were the only adjustable parameters. The model, implemented as a Monte Carlo code called BIophysical ANalysis of Cell death and chromosome Aberrations (BIANCA), provided simulated survival curves that were directly compared with experimental data on human and hamster cells exposed to photons, protons, α-particles and heavier ions including carbon and iron. d = 5 μm, independent of radiation quality, and CL yields in the range ~2-20 CLs Gy(-1) cell(-1), depending on particle type and energy, led to good agreement between simulations and data. This supports the hypothesis of a pivotal role of DNA cluster damage at sub-micrometric scale, modulated by chromosome fragment mis-rejoining at micrometric scale. To investigate the features of such critical damage, the CL yields were compared with experimental or theoretical yields of DNA fragments of different sizes, focusing on the base-pair scale (related to the so-called local clustering), the kbp scale ("regional clustering") and the Mbp scale, corresponding to chromatin loops. Interestingly, the CL yields showed better agreement with kbp fragments rather than bp fragments or Mbp fragments; this suggests that also regional clustering, in addition to other clustering levels, may play an important role, possibly due to its relationship with nucleosome organization in the chromatin fiber.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M P Carante
- Physics Department, University of Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Cansolino L, Clerici AM, Zonta C, Dionigi P, Mazzini G, Di Liberto R, Altieri S, Ballarini F, Bortolussi S, Carante MP, Ferrari M, González SJ, Postuma I, Protti N, Santa Cruz GA, Ferrari C. Comparative study of the radiobiological effects induced on adherent vs suspended cells by BNCT, neutrons and gamma rays treatments. Appl Radiat Isot 2015; 106:226-32. [PMID: 26256647 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2015.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Revised: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The present work is part of a preclinical in vitro study to assess the efficacy of BNCT applied to liver or lung coloncarcinoma metastases and to limb osteosarcoma. Adherent growing cell lines can be irradiated as adherent to the culture flasks or as cell suspensions, differences in radio-sensitivity of the two modalities of radiation exposure have been investigated. Dose related cell survival and cell cycle perturbation results evidenced that the radiosensitivity of adherent cells is higher than that of the suspended ones.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L Cansolino
- Department of Clinic-Surgical Sciences, Experimental Surgery Laboratory, University of Pavia, Italy; IRCCS S. Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy
| | - A M Clerici
- Department of Clinic-Surgical Sciences, Experimental Surgery Laboratory, University of Pavia, Italy
| | - C Zonta
- Department of Clinic-Surgical Sciences, Experimental Surgery Laboratory, University of Pavia, Italy
| | - P Dionigi
- Department of Clinic-Surgical Sciences, Experimental Surgery Laboratory, University of Pavia, Italy; IRCCS S. Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy
| | - G Mazzini
- IGM-CNR and Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Italy
| | | | - S Altieri
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Italy; INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - F Ballarini
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Italy; INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - S Bortolussi
- INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - M P Carante
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Italy; INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - M Ferrari
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Italy; INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - S J González
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET, Argentina
| | - I Postuma
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Italy; INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - N Protti
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Italy; INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - G A Santa Cruz
- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C Ferrari
- Department of Clinic-Surgical Sciences, Experimental Surgery Laboratory, University of Pavia, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Trivillin V, Garabalino M, Colombo L, González S, Farías R, Monti Hughes A, Pozzi E, Bortolussi S, Altieri S, Itoiz M, Aromando R, Nigg D, Schwint A. Biodistribution of the boron carriers boronophenylalanine (BPA) and/or decahydrodecaborate (GB-10) for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in an experimental model of lung metastases. Appl Radiat Isot 2014; 88:94-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2013.11.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2012] [Revised: 11/27/2013] [Accepted: 11/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
|
11
|
Colautti P, Moro D, Chiriotti S, Conte V, Evangelista L, Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Protti N, Postuma I. Microdosimetric measurements in the thermal neutron irradiation facility of LENA reactor. Appl Radiat Isot 2014; 88:147-52. [PMID: 24508176 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2014.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Revised: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A twin TEPC with electric-field guard tubes has been constructed to be used to characterize the BNCT field of the irradiation facility of LENA reactor. One of the two mini TEPC was doped with 50ppm of (10)B in order to simulate the BNC events occurring in BNCT. By properly processing the two microdosimetric spectra, the gamma, neutron and BNC spectral components can be derived with good precision (~6%). However, direct measurements of (10)B in some doped plastic samples, which were used for constructing the cathode walls, point out the scarce accuracy of the nominal (10)B concentration value. The influence of the Boral(®) door, which closes the irradiation channel, has been measured. The gamma dose increases significantly (+51%) when the Boral(®) door is closed. The crypt-cell-regeneration weighting function has been used to measure the quality, namely the RBEµ value, of the radiation field in different conditions. The measured RBEµ values are only partially consistent with the RBE values of other BNCT facilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P Colautti
- INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, viale dell׳Università 2, I-35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
| | - D Moro
- INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, viale dell׳Università 2, I-35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
| | - S Chiriotti
- INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, viale dell׳Università 2, I-35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy; SCK.CEN, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - V Conte
- INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, viale dell׳Università 2, I-35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
| | - L Evangelista
- INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, viale dell׳Università 2, I-35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy; Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Unit, Istituto Oncologico Veneto, Padova, via Gattamelata 64, I-35128 Padova, Italy
| | - S Altieri
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-7100 Pavia, Italy
| | - S Bortolussi
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-7100 Pavia, Italy
| | - N Protti
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-7100 Pavia, Italy
| | - I Postuma
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy; INFN, Section of Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-7100 Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bortolussi S, Altieri S. Boron concentration measurement in biological tissues by charged particle spectrometry. Radiat Environ Biophys 2013; 52:493-503. [PMID: 23835595 DOI: 10.1007/s00411-013-0480-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 06/22/2013] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Measurement of boron concentration in biological tissues is a fundamental aspect of boron neutron capture therapy, because the outcome of the therapy depends on the distribution of boron at a cellular level, besides on its overall concentration. This work describes a measurement technique based on the spectroscopy of the charged particles emitted in the reaction (10)B(n,α)(7)Li induced by thermal neutrons, allowing for a quantitative determination of the boron concentration in the different components that may be simultaneously present in a tissue sample, such as healthy cells, tumor cells and necrotic cells. Thin sections of tissue containing (10)B are cut at low temperatures and irradiated under vacuum in a thermal neutron field. The charged particles arising from the sample during the irradiation are collected by a thin silicon detector, and their spectrum is used to determine boron concentration through relatively easy calculations. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique are here described, and validation of the method using tissue standards with known boron concentrations is presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Bortolussi
- Department of Physics, University of Pavia, Via Bassi 6, 27100, Pavia, Italy,
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Bortolussi S, Pinto J, Thorp S, Farias R, Soto M, Sztejnberg M, Pozzi E, Gonzalez S, Gadan M, Bellino A, Quintana J, Altieri S, Miller M. Simulation of the neutron flux in the irradiation facility at RA-3 reactor. Appl Radiat Isot 2011; 69:1924-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2011.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2010] [Revised: 03/15/2011] [Accepted: 03/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
14
|
Schütz C, Brochhausen C, Altieri S, Bartholomew K, Bortolussi S, Enzmann F, Gabel D, Hampel G, Kirkpatrick C, Kratz J, Minouchehr S, Schmidberger H, Otto G. Boron Determination in Liver Tissue by Combining Quantitative Neutron Capture Radiography (QNCR) and Histological Analysis for BNCT Treatment Planning at the TRIGA Mainz. Radiat Res 2011; 176:388-96. [DOI: 10.1667/rr2543.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
15
|
Ballarini F, Bakeine J, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P, Cansolino L, Clerici AM, Ferrari C, Protti N, Stella S, Zonta A, Zonta C, Altieri S. Cell death following BNCT: a theoretical approach based on Monte Carlo simulations. Appl Radiat Isot 2011; 69:1745-7. [PMID: 21481595 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2011.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2010] [Revised: 03/02/2011] [Accepted: 03/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In parallel to boron measurements and animal studies, investigations on radiation-induced cell death are also in progress in Pavia, with the aim of better characterisation of the effects of a BNCT treatment down to the cellular level. Such studies are being carried out not only experimentally but also theoretically, based on a mechanistic model and a Monte Carlo code. Such model assumes that: (1) only clustered DNA strand breaks can lead to chromosome aberrations; (2) only chromosome fragments within a certain threshold distance can undergo misrejoining; (3) the so-called "lethal aberrations" (dicentrics, rings and large deletions) lead to cell death. After applying the model to normal cells exposed to monochromatic fields of different radiation types, the irradiation section of the code was purposely extended to mimic the cell exposure to a mixed radiation field produced by the (10)B(n,α) (7)Li reaction, which gives rise to alpha particles and Li ions of short range and high biological effectiveness, and by the (14)N(n,p)(14)C reaction, which produces 0.58 MeV protons. Very good agreement between model predictions and literature data was found for human and animal cells exposed to X- or gamma-rays, protons and alpha particles, thus allowing to validate the model for cell death induced by monochromatic radiation fields. The model predictions showed good agreement also with experimental data obtained by our group exposing DHD cells to thermal neutrons in the TRIGA Mark II reactor of the University of Pavia; this allowed to validate the model also for a BNCT exposure scenario, providing a useful predictive tool to bridge the gap between irradiation and cell death.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Ballarini
- University of Pavia, Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, Pavia, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Bonora M, Corti M, Borsa F, Bortolussi S, Protti N, Santoro D, Stella S, Altieri S, Zonta C, Clerici AM, Cansolino L, Ferrari C, Dionigi P, Porta A, Zanoni G, Vidari G. 1H and 10B NMR and MRI investigation of boron- and gadolinium-boron compounds in boron neutron capture therapy. Appl Radiat Isot 2011; 69:1702-5. [PMID: 21371896 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2011.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2010] [Revised: 02/07/2011] [Accepted: 02/10/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
(10)B molecular compounds suitable for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) are tagged with a Gd(III) paramagnetic ion. The newly synthesized molecule, Gd-BPA, is investigated as contrast agent in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) with the final aim of mapping the boron distribution in tissues. Preliminary Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) measurements, which include (1)H and (10)B relaxometry in animal tissues, proton relaxivity of the paramagnetic Gd-BPA molecule in water and its absorption in tumoral living cells, are reported.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Bonora
- Physics Department A. Volta, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Ballarini F, Bortolussi S, Clerici AM, Ferrari C, Protti N, Altieri S. From radiation-induced chromosome damage to cell death: modelling basic mechanisms and applications to boron neutron capture therapy. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 2011; 143:523-527. [PMID: 21159746 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncq466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Cell death is a crucial endpoint in radiation-induced biological damage: on one side, cell death is a reference endpoint to characterise the action of radiation in biological targets; on the other side, any cancer therapy aims to kill tumour cells. Starting from Lea's target theory, many models have been proposed to interpret radiation-induced cell killing; after briefly discussing some of these models, in this paper, a mechanistic approach based on an experimentally observed link between chromosome aberrations and cell death was presented. More specifically, a model and a Monte Carlo code originally developed for chromosome aberrations were extended to simulate radiation-induced cell death applying an experimentally observed one-to-one relationship between the average number of 'lethal aberrations' (dicentrics, rings and deletions) per cell and -ln S, S being the fraction of surviving cells. Although such observation was related to X rays, in the present work, the approach was also applied to protons and alpha particles. A good agreement between simulation outcomes and literature data provided a model validation for different radiation types. The same approach was then successfully applied to simulate the survival of cells enriched with boron and irradiated with thermal neutrons at the Triga Mark II reactor in Pavia, to mimic a typical treatment for boron neutron capture therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Ballarini
- Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia, INFN-Pavia, via Bassi 6, I-27100 Pavia, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bortolussi S, Bakeine J, Ballarini F, Bruschi P, Gadan M, Protti N, Stella S, Clerici A, Ferrari C, Cansolino L, Zonta C, Zonta A, Nano R, Altieri S. Boron uptake measurements in a rat model for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy of lung tumours. Appl Radiat Isot 2011; 69:394-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2010] [Revised: 10/16/2010] [Accepted: 11/19/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
19
|
Ferrari C, Bakeine J, Ballarini F, Boninella A, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P, Cansolino L, Clerici AM, Coppola A, Di Liberto R, Dionigi P, Protti N, Stella S, Zonta A, Zonta C, Altieri S. In vitro and in vivo studies of boron neutron capture therapy: boron uptake/washout and cell death. Radiat Res 2010; 175:452-62. [PMID: 21133762 DOI: 10.1667/rr2156.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a binary radiotherapy based on thermal-neutron irradiation of cells enriched with (10)B, which produces α particles and (7)Li ions of short range and high biological effectiveness. The selective uptake of boron by tumor cells is a crucial issue for BNCT, and studies of boron uptake and washout associated with cell survival studies can be of great help in developing clinical applications. In this work, boron uptake and washout were characterized both in vitro for the DHDK12TRb (DHD) rat colon carcinoma cell line and in vivo using rats bearing liver metastases from DHD cells. Despite a remarkable uptake, a large boron release was observed after removal of the boron-enriched medium from in vitro cell cultures. However, analysis of boron washout after rat liver perfusion in vivo did not show a significant boron release, suggesting that organ perfusion does not limit the therapeutic effectiveness of the treatment. The survival of boron-loaded cells exposed to thermal neutrons was also assessed; the results indicated that the removal of extracellular boron does not limit treatment effectiveness if adequate amounts of boron are delivered and if the cells are kept at low temperature. Cell survival was also investigated theoretically using a mechanistic model/Monte Carlo code originally developed for radiation-induced chromosome aberrations and extended here to cell death; good agreement between simulation outcomes and experimental data was obtained.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Ferrari
- University of Pavia, Department of Surgery, Experimental Surgery Laboratory, Pavia, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Altieri S, Balzi M, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P, Ciani L, Clerici AM, Faraoni P, Ferrari C, Gadan MA, Panza L, Pietrangeli D, Ricciardi G, Ristori S. Carborane Derivatives Loaded into Liposomes as Efficient Delivery Systems for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. J Med Chem 2009; 52:7829-35. [DOI: 10.1021/jm900763b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Altieri
- Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia and INFN, Pavia, Italy
- National Institute For Nuclear Physics (INFN), Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - M. Balzi
- Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - S. Bortolussi
- Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia and INFN, Pavia, Italy
- National Institute For Nuclear Physics (INFN), Section of Pavia, Italy
| | - P. Bruschi
- Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia and INFN, Pavia, Italy
| | - L. Ciani
- Department of Chemistry and CSGI, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - A. M. Clerici
- Department of Surgery, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - P. Faraoni
- Department of Clinical Physiopathology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - C. Ferrari
- Department of Surgery, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - M. A. Gadan
- Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia and INFN, Pavia, Italy
- National Commission for Atomic Energy (CNEA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L. Panza
- DISCAFF, University of Oriental Piemonte, Novara, Italy
| | - D. Pietrangeli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy
| | - G. Ricciardi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy
| | - S. Ristori
- Department of Chemistry and CSGI, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Agosteo S, Fazzi A, D’Angelo G, Introini MV, Pola A, Pirovano C, Varoli V, Altieri S, Stella S, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P. Feasibility Study of a Monolithic Silicon Telescope for BNCT Applications. NUCL TECHNOL 2009. [DOI: 10.13182/nt09-a9093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Agosteo
- Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia via Ponzio 3403, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - A. Fazzi
- Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia via Ponzio 3403, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - G. D’Angelo
- Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia via Ponzio 3403, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - M. V. Introini
- Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia via Ponzio 3403, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - A. Pola
- Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia via Ponzio 3403, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - C. Pirovano
- Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia via Ponzio 3403, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - V. Varoli
- Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Energia via Ponzio 3403, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, via Celoria 16 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - S. Altieri
- Università di Pavia, Dipartimento di Fisica Nucleare e Teorica via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- INFN, Sezione Pavia, via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - S. Stella
- Università di Pavia, Dipartimento di Fisica Nucleare e Teorica via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- INFN, Sezione Pavia, via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - S. Bortolussi
- Università di Pavia, Dipartimento di Fisica Nucleare e Teorica via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- INFN, Sezione Pavia, via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - P. Bruschi
- Università di Pavia, Dipartimento di Fisica Nucleare e Teorica via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- INFN, Sezione Pavia, via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Protti N, Bortolussi S, Stella S, Gadan M, De Bari A, Ballarini F, Bruschi P, Ferrari C, Clerici A, Zonta C, Bakeine J, Dionigi P, Zonta A, Altieri S. Calculations of dose distributions in the lungs of a rat model irradiated in the thermal column of the TRIGA reactor in Pavia. Appl Radiat Isot 2009; 67:S210-3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2009.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
23
|
Ferrari C, Zonta C, Cansolino L, Clerici AM, Gaspari A, Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Stella S, Bruschi P, Dionigi P, Zonta A. Selective uptake of p-boronophenylalanine by osteosarcoma cells for boron neutron capture therapy. Appl Radiat Isot 2009; 67:S341-4. [PMID: 19394838 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2009.03.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is the most common non-hematologic primary cancer type that develops in bone. Current osteosarcoma treatments combine multiagent chemotherapy with extensive surgical resection, which in some cases makes necessary the amputation of the entire limb. Nevertheless its infiltrative growth leads to a high incidence of local and distant recurrences that reduce the percentage of cured patients to less than 60%. These poor data required to set up a new therapeutic approach aimed to restrict the surgical removal meanwhile performing a radical treatment. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a particular radiotherapy based on the nuclear capture and fission reactions by atoms of (10)B, when irradiated with thermal neutrons, could be a valid alternative or integrative option in case of osteosarcoma management, thanks to its peculiarity in selectively destroying neoplastic cells without damaging normal tissues. Aim of the present work is to investigate the feasibility of employing BNCT to treat the limb osteosarcoma. Boronophenylalanine (BPA) is used to carry (10)B inside the neoplastic cells. As a first step the endocellular BPA uptake is tested in vitro on the UMR-106 osteosarcoma cell line. The results show an adequate accumulation capability. For the in vivo experiments, an animal tumor model is developed in Sprague-Dawley rats by means of an intrafemoral injection of UMR-106 cells at the condyle site. The absolute amounts of boron loading and the tumor to normal tissue (10)B ratio are evaluated 2 h after the i.v. administration of BPA. The boron uptake by the neoplastic tissue is almost twice the normal one. However, higher values of boron concentration in tumor are requested before upholding BNCT as a valid therapeutic option in the treatment of osteosarcoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C Ferrari
- Department of Surgery, Experimental Surgery Laboratory, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta, Pavia, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P, Chiari P, Fossati F, Stella S, Prati U, Roveda L, Zonta A, Zonta C, Ferrari C, Clerici A, Nano R, Pinelli T. Neutron autoradiography imaging of selective boron uptake in human metastatic tumours. Appl Radiat Isot 2008; 66:1850-5. [PMID: 18599300 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2008.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2008] [Revised: 05/05/2008] [Accepted: 05/20/2008] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to selectively hit the tumour cells is an essential characteristic of an anti-tumour therapy. In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) this characteristic is based on the selective uptake of (10)B in the tumour cells with respect to normal tissues. An important step in the BNCT planning is the measurement of the boron concentration in the tissue samples, both tumour and healthy. When the tumour is spread through the healthy tissue, as in the case of metastases, the knowledge of the different kinds of tissues in the sample being analysed is crucial. If the percentage of tumour and normal tissues cannot be evaluated, the obtained concentration is a mean value depending on the composition of the different samples being measured. In this case an imaging method that could give information both on the morphology and on the spatial distribution of boron concentration in the sample would be a fundamental support. In this paper, the results of the boron uptake analysis in the tumour and in the healthy samples taken from human livers after boron phenylalanine (BPA) infusion are shown; boron imaging was performed using neutron autoradiography.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S Altieri
- Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Bortolussi S, Altieri S. Thermal neutron irradiation field design for boron neutron capture therapy of human explanted liver. Med Phys 2007; 34:4700-5. [DOI: 10.1118/1.2795831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
|
26
|
Gambarini G, Agosteo S, Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Carrara M, Gay S, Nava E, Petrovich C, Rosi G, Valente M. Dose distributions in phantoms irradiated in thermal columns of two different nuclear reactors. Radiat Prot Dosimetry 2007; 126:640-4. [PMID: 17576652 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncm181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
In-phantom dosimetry studies have been carried out at the thermal columns of a thermal- and a fast-nuclear reactor for investigating: (a) the spatial distribution of the gamma dose and the thermal neutron fluence and (b) the accuracy at which the boron concentration should be estimated in an explanted organ of a boron neutron capture therapy patient. The phantom was a cylinder (11 cm in diameter and 12 cm in height) of tissue-equivalent gel. Dose images were acquired with gel dosemeters across the axial section of the phantom. The thermal neutron fluence rate was measured with activation foils in a few positions of this phantom. Dose and fluence rate profiles were also calculated with Monte Carlo simulations. The trend of these profiles do not show significant differences for the thermal columns considered in this work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Gambarini
- Department of Physics of University and INFN Sezione di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Zonta A, Prati U, Roveda L, Ferrari C, Zonta S, Clerici A, Zonta C, Pinelli T, Fossati F, Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P, Nano R, Barni S, Chiari P, Mazzini G. Clinical lessons from the first applications of BNCT on unresectable liver metastases. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/41/1/054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|
28
|
Altieri S, Bortolussi S, Bruschi P, Fossati F, Vittor K, Nano R, Facoetti A, Chiari P, Bakeine J, Clerici A, Ferrari C, Salvucci O. Boron absorption imaging in rat lung colon adenocarcinoma metastases. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/41/1/010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|