Recent developments in boron neutron capture therapy

Abstract

The development of tumour-specific, boron-containing drugs will play an important role if boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is to evolve into a clinically accepted treatment for cancer. BNCT is a binary cancer therapy, which is dependent on the selective deposition of boron-10 in a tumour cell followed by exposure of the cell to a neutron flux of appropriate energy. Over the past four decades, significant advances have been made in nuclear physics and nuclear engineering such that the required neutron sources are now available at a few centres throughout the world. The development of tumour-specific, boronated agents has met with more limited success although BNCT clinical trials have been initiated in the USA, Europe and Japan. This review focuses on patents published from 1995 through 1997 dealing with boronated agents, which could prove useful in clinical BNCT.

• boron neutron capture therapy
• boron-10
• boronated amino acid
• boronic acid
• carborane
• para-boronophenyl alanine