Methods for radiation dose distribution analysis and treatment planning in boron neutron capture therapy

This article presents a survey of recent progress in the development and application of analytical methods for calculating macroscopic and microscopic radiation dose distributions for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Such calculations are an essential component of in vivo BNCT research and will ultimately also be required for human BNCT treatment planning. Calculations of macroscopic absorbed dose distributions for BNCT are more complex than for photon therapy. There are several different dose components, each of which has its own characteristic spatial distribution, linear energy transfer, and relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Three-dimensional (3-D) energy-dependent radiation transport models with a detailed treatment of particle scattering are required. Geometric descriptions for such models are typically constructed directly from medical image data and both the Monte Carlo stochastic simulation method and the discrete-ordinates deterministic approach have been successfully used to perform the necessary radiation transport calculations. Microdosimetric effects can profoundly influence the therapeutic benefit that may be attainable in BNCT. These effects must be carefully taken into account in the interpretation of experimental data, especially when correlating observed in vivo radiobiological response with absorbed radiation dose. Calculations of microdosimetric parameters for BNCT are typically performed using the Monte Carlo method to generate single-event energy deposition frequency distributions for critical targets in various cell types of interest. This information is useful in the development of apparent RBE factors, or "compound factors" for the various dose components in BNCT.