Potential for Therapeutic Gain - 29 MeV Neutrons versus 6 MeV Neutrons

Abstract

When a cancer type proves to be radioresistant to treatment with X-rays, the use of neutrons may constitute therapeutic gain provided the cells are relatively sensitive to high-LET radiation. In this work studies with different tumor cell types are reported following exposure to either photons or different neutron energies used in clinical radiation therapy. Potential for therapeutic gain is clearly noted for neutrons with a mean energy of 6 MeV whilst that for 29 MeV neutrons is dependent on the cell types used in the study.