Development and calculation of an energy dependent normal brain tissue neutron RBE for evaluating neutron fields for...

In Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) of malignant brain tumors, the energy dependence of a clinically relevant Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) for epithermal neutrons, RBE(En), is important in neutron field design. In the first half of this paper, we present the development of an expression for the energy dependent normal-tissue RBE, RBE(En). We then calculate a reasonable estimate for RBE(En) for adult brain tissue. In the second half of the paper, two separate RBE expressions are developed, one for the RBE of the neutrons that interact in tissue via the 14N(n,p)14C reaction, denoted RBE(N), and one for the RBE of the neutrons which interact in tissue via the 1H(n,n')1H reaction, denoted RBE(H). The absorbed-dose-averaged values of these expressions are calculated for the neutron flux spectrum in phantom for the Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor (BMRR) epithermal neutron beam. The calculated values, [RBE(norm)N] = 3.4 and [RBE(norm)H] = 3.2, are within 6% of being equal, and support the use of equal values for RBEN and RBE(H) by researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Finally, values of [RBE(norm)N] and [RBE(norm)H], along with the absorbed-dose-averaged RBE for brain, [RBE(norm)b], were calculated as a function of depth along the centerline of an ellipsoidal head phantom using flux spectra calculated for our Accelerator-Based Neutron Source (ABNS). These values remained essentially constant with depth, supporting the use of constant values for RBE, as is done at BNL.