A ternary model of proton therapy based on boron medium radiosensitization and enhancement paths: a Monte Carlo...

To overcome proton therapy limitations [low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation with a relative biological effectiveness (RBE) typically ranging from 1.1 to 1.2], radiosensitization techniques can be employed to increase the radiosensitivity of tumor cells and improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy. In this study, we suggest using a boron-based medium to overcome the biological limitations of proton therapy. By inducing the hydrogen-boron fusion reaction (p + ¹¹B → 3α) of incident protons and capturing thermal neutrons [¹⁰B + n → ⁷Li³⁺ (0.84 MeV) + ⁴He²⁺ (1.47 MeV) + γ (0.477 MeV)], high LET α particles can be released. We propose a "ternary" radiotherapy model to enhance the biological effect of proton therapy.

Using Monte Carlo simulation, the possibility of interacting low-energy proton beams with ¹¹B and thermal neutrons with ¹⁰B to produce α particles with higher RBE to enhance the biological effect of proton radiotherapy were investigated. And the number and location of α particles and thermal neutrons produced by the interaction of protons with natural boron had also been studied.

Under the basic principle of the "ternary" radiotherapy model, comparative analyses of neutrons and α particles produced by proton beams of different energies incident on the phantoms, which were composed of boron isotopes of different concentrations in proportion to the phantoms, have shown that the α particle yield decreased with decreasing boron doping concentration, whereas the neutron yield increased with decreasing boron doping concentration. The distribution of thermal neutrons and α particles in the longitudinal direction of the proton beam were also studied, and it was found that the number of α particles produced was high at high boron concentrations, and the locations of α and thermal neutrons were close to the treatment target.

The proton therapy ternary model is theoretically feasible from the perspective of mathematical analysis and Monte Carlo simulation experiments.