$^7$Be and $^{22}$Na radionuclides for a new therapy of cancer

Abstract

The 10 B isotope has been almost exclusively used in the neutron-capture radiation therapy (NCT) of cancer for decades. We have identified two other nuclides suitable for the radiotherapy, which have ca.10 times larger cross section of absorption for neutrons and emit heavy charged particles. This would provide several key advantages for potential NCT, such as the possibility to use either a lower nuclide concentration in the target tissues, or a lower neutron irradiation flux.By detecting the characteristic γ radiation from the spontaneous decay of the radionuclides, one can image and control their accumulation. These advantages could be critical for the revival of the NCT as a safer, more efficient and more widely used cancer therapy.

Promising Perspectives on the Use of Fullerenes as Efficient Containers for Beryllium Atoms

“…[5] Endohedral fullerenes have been proposed for applications which range from quantum computing [6,7] to magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, [8] to use in selective irradiation of tumors through neutron capture. [9,10] Beryllium-doped endohedral fullerenes 7 Be@C60 have been suggested for application in neutron capture therapy (NCT) [11] as substitutes of boron isotope 10 B. [12,13,14,15] Boron NCT technology is limited due to the difficulty to identify B-containing compounds that can be accumulated in the tumor cells, and to the fact that BNCT requires high enough neutron flux (10 10 to 10 12 cm −2 s −1 ) not well suited for systematic massive clinical studies.…”