Evaluation of an iron-filtered epithermal neutron beam for neutron-capture therapy

An epithermal neutron filter using iron, aluminum, and sulfur was evaluated to determine if the therapeutic performance could be improved with respect to aluminum-sulfur-based filters. An empirically optimized filter was developed that delivered a 93% pure beam of 24-keV epithermal neutrons. It was expected that a thick filter using iron with a density thickness greater than 200 g/cm2 would eliminate the excess gamma contamination found in Al-S filters. This research showed that prompt gamma production from neutron interactions in iron was the dominant dose component. Dosimetric parameters of the beam were determined from the measurement of absorbed dose in air, thermal neutron flux in a head phantom, neutron and gamma spectroscopy, and microdosimetry.