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Young Researchers BNCT Meeting in Mainz 2009

Every two years the Young Researchers BNCT Meeting takes place as an occasion for young graduates and post-graduates to share their experiences in BNCT. These meetings last several days, which provides the possibility to get to know each other and to establish contacts to fellow researchers and, furthermore, they have proven to be considerably useful and necessary to support and promote young researchers.

The programme includes lectures on different topics such as boron chemistry and analysis, neutron sources, dosimetry, treatment planning and clinical matters as well as presentations given by young researchers.  

      

          

BNCT is a form of radiotherapy that is qualified for a selective tumour therapy. The method is based on the high cross section for capture of thermal neutrons by the isotope B-10. During the interaction of B-10 with thermal neutrons B-11 arises which decays into an alpha particle, a Li-7 particle, and releasing a gamma irradiation of 0.48 MeV. Alpha and Li particles have a large linear energy transfers of 150 keV/µm respectivly and 175 keV/µm and short path lengths in the magnitude of the cell diameter in the tissue. By accumulation of the 10-B in the tumour tissue the radiation particles destroy the tumour. Today BNCT is applied at several research reactors in the world for the treatment of glioblastoma and melanoma. Therefore, the patient is directly irradiated with neutrons from the reactor. In the TAOrMINA project of the University of Pavia the BNCT method was applied for the extracorporeal treatment of liver metastases.