Experience of modified boron neutron capture therapy to a glioblastoma patient

We experienced a case of recurrent glioblastoma that was treated very effectively with modified boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). A 61-year-old man had been suffering from glioblastoma for a year. He underwent surgery two times, and after the second surgery, the patient was treated with BNCT at Kyoto University Reactor (KUR). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), applied 48 h after BNCT, showed a 70% reduction of the enhanced tumor. No serial sequelae appeared after this treatment. In this paper, we describe the ways in which we modified the treatment. First, we utilized an epithermal neutron beam instead of a thermal neutron beam, which enabled us to treat even deep-seated lesions. Second, we used two different boron Compounds simultaneously, namely sodium borocaptate and boronophenyl alanine, which achieved a good contrast in the boron concentration between the tumor and normal tissues. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.