Hadron Therapy in Latin America

Abstract

The use of proton and heavy ion beams for radiotherapy is a well established cancer treatment modality in the first world, which is becoming increasingly widespread, due to its clear advantages over conventional photon-based treatments. This strategy is suitable when the tumor is spatially well localized. Also the use of neutrons has tradition. Here Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) stands out, though on a much smaller scale, being a promising alternative for tumors which are diffuse and infiltrating. On this sector, so far only nuclear reactors have been used as neutron sources. In this paper we briefly describe the situation in Latin America and in particular we discuss the present status of an ongoing project to develop a folded Tandem-ElectroStatic-Quadrupole (TESQ) accelerator for Accelerator-Based (AB)-Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) at the Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina. The project goal is a machine capable of delivering 30 mA of 2.4 MeV protons to be used in conjunction with a neutron production target based on the 7 Li(p,n) 7 Be reaction. These are the specifications needed to produce sufficiently intense and clean epithermal neutron beams to perform BNCT for deep-seated tumors in less than an hour. The machine being currently designed and constructed is a folded TESQ with a terminal at 0.6MV as a smaller scale prototype. Since the concept is modular the same structure will be used for the 1.2MV final accelerator.

Electrostatic design and beam transport for a folded tandem electrostatic quadrupole accelerator facility for accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy

“…Within the frame of an ongoing project to develop a folded Tandem-Electrostatic-Quadrupole (TESQ) accelerator facility (Kreiner et al, 2007(Kreiner et al, , 2008(Kreiner et al, , 2010a(Kreiner et al, , 2010b for Accelerator-Based Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (AB-BNCT), we discuss here the electrostatic design of the machine (Hellborg, 2005;Lee, 2004) including the accelerator tubes with quadrupoles and the simulations for the transport and acceleration of the 30 mA proton beam.…”

Radiobiological Effectiveness of the Accelerator-Based Neutron Beam in Vitro and in Vivo at the Binp at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics

“…В качестве компактных, безопасных, относительно недорогих источников нейтронов могут использоваться ускорители заряженных частиц с соответствующими нейтронгенерирующими мишенями и системами формирования пучка. За последние 30 лет было предложено большое количество таких проектов [4][5][6][7]. Ускорители позволяют получить лучший по качеству терапевтический пучок нейтронов, а также относительно просто и оперативно изменять спектр и поток нейтронов изменением энергии и тока пучка заряженных частиц и заменой мишени.…”