Dosimetric consequences of 10B(n, alpha)7Li reaction occurring at the cellular membrane

Microdosimetric expectations of Boron contents are extracted from a CRAY-Monte Carlo simulation of the nuclear reaction 10B(n, alpha)7Li as it occurs on a boronated membrane of a model cell and as the reaction fragments (alpha and Li) traverse into the cellular nucleus.

The present microdosimetry calculation is based upon the assumption that the therapeutic advantage of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), while depending upon the RBE and LET of the reaction particles, is equally dependent on the boron carrier preferential localization to tumor tissue, and the boron selectivity to cancerous cells and its specificity within subcellular compartments. In particular, boron fixes to cell membrane as it ought to, using monoclonal antibodies. The present Monte Carlo simulation computes stochastic expectations of alpha/Li energy depositions to the nucleus in a uniformly boronated membrane shell of a spherical cell. Differential energy gain was deduced from the stochastic energy depositions in events of neutron reactions with membrane boron compared against those with natural elements (O, H, N) in the cell.

Microdosimetry data are presented in terms of specific energy (keV/micron3) and lineal energy (keV/micron) functions of the nucleus-to-cell volume ratios (NCVR). When folded with the geometric boron content and accounting for background reaction energies, the distributions yield effective energy gain to the cell nucleus per neutron capture event. Boron amount required to yield these energy gains are found to be of the order of picograms of boron per gram of cell mass.

The boron content as inferred by the present Monte Carlo microdosimetry compares well with that deliverable by present pharmacokinetic means, but are orders of magnitude (mu-grams) less than those deduced previously from anthropomorphic macrodosimetry.