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RE: END OF AN ERA AS BROOKHAVEN LAB CLOSES NUCLEAR REACTOR
> > the lab's director, John
> > Marburger, said the "discouraging results" of recent clinical trials,
> > along with a dwindling enthusiasm for this research among government
> > agencies, convinced the lab that the reactor should be closed.
<><><><><><><>
Comment:
Not only is it a shame, this sounds like a phony sham, intended to cover up
a reactor shutdown for political reasons.
Everywhere else research on Neutron Capture cancer Therapy (NCT, or
specifically BNCT when Boron is used) is progressing, as you can see from
the following postings posted to the BNCT list :
> From: Iiro Auterinen[SMTP:iiro.auterinen@VTT.FI]
> Reply To: BNCT@MITVMA.MIT.Edu
> Sent: Friday July 07, 2000 5:41 AM
> To: BNCT@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: The VTT web pages for the Finnish BNCT project
>
> Dear Colleagues
>
> If you have had toubles in finding information in the web about the
> Finnish
> BNCT project here is the address to the VTT web pages for the Finnish BNCT
> project:
>
> http://www.vtt.fi/ket/ket1/bnct/bnctpro1.htm
>
> Until now we have irradiated 10 glioblastoma patients at our BNCT facility
> using BPA as boron carrier.
>
> Best wishes and looking forward to see you all in Osaka
>
> Iiro Auterinen
>
> ************************************************************
> Iiro Auterinen phone: +358 9 456 6353
> Senior Research Scientist fax: +358 9 456 6390
> BNCT-Manager mailto:Iiro.Auterinen@vtt.fi
> VTT Chemical Technology
> P.O.Box 1404 (Otakaari 3 A)
> FIN-02044 VTT (ESPOO), FINLAND http://www.vtt.fi
> ************************************************************
>
> From: Capala Jacek[SMTP:Jacek.Capala@STUDSVIK.SE]
> Reply To: BNCT@MITVMA.MIT.Edu
> Sent: Thursday May 11, 2000 6:06 AM
> To: BNCT@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: cheer up
>
> Hi there BNCT folk,
<SNIP>
> A private corporation, Studsvik SA, has invested several M$ in a new
> comprehensive BNCT center based on the R2-0 research reactor at Studsvik,
> 100 km south of Stockholm. It will offer excellent conditions for, both,
> experimental and clinical studies. The clinical, epithermal neutron beam
> is
> generated by a unique filtration/moderation system consisting of aluminum,
> Teflon, a variable air/D2O layer, and lithium-6. It will provide variable
> neutron spectra producing the thermal neutron flux peak at depths in the
> range of 0 to 3 cm in tissue. This flexibility may be useful for treatment
> of superficial tumors. The facility includes also a clinical room where
> the
> infusion of boron carrier can be completed, a mock-up room for patient
> positioning, and an analytical chemistry laboratory equipped with a state
> of
> the art indirect plasma atomic emissions spectroscope for measurements of
> boron concentration in tissues. A satiation for prompt gamma analysis will
> be added soon, too. Commissioning of the clinical facility is planned for
> the summer 2000. For the time of BNCT, patients will be hospitalized in a
> local hospital.
>
> Proposed clinical BNCT phase I/II trials for glioblastoma at Studsvik are
> overseen by The Swedish Cancer Society (Brain Tumor Study Group) and,
> initially, will involve two protocols:
> Protocol #1. BNCT for glioblastoma patients who have not had received any
> therapy other than surgery (including stereotactic biopsy).
> Protocol #2. BNCT as a palliative treatment for patients with recurrent
> glioblastoma following conventional therapies or BNCT.
>
> In addition to the clinical facility, a thermal neutron beam and fully
> equipped laboratories for in vitro and in vivo studies are also available
> at
> Studsvik. Several research programs have been or are being established in
> collaboration with universities in Sweden and Europe to further improve
> current methods and to investigate new applications of BNCT. The studies
> to
> be carried out at the Studsvik experimental BNCT facility include: testing
> of new compounds for BNCT, application of BNCT to treat various types of
> tumors, boron neutron capture synevectomy, possible applications of
> gadolinium neutron capture for brachytherapy and intra-vascular
> radiotherapy
> of restinosis, etc.
>
> The facility, and the proposed protocols will be presented at the upcoming
> meetings of
> 1. European Neurooncological Society, Copenhagen, Denmark; June 2-6
> 2. World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering,
> Chicago, IL, USA; July 23-28
> 3. 9th ISNCT Osaka, Japan; October 2-6 (if our abstract is accepted)
>
> I hope to see most of you at those occasions. Of course, you're welcome to
> stop by if you happen to be in the neighborhood.
>
> With my best regards,
>
> Jacek Capala
>
> From: Ray Moss[SMTP:moss@JRC.NL]
> Reply To: BNCT@MITVMA.MIT.Edu
> Sent: Tuesday July 04, 2000 4:46 AM
> To: BNCT@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
> Subject: Re: web page - EORTC/Petten trials
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> Please note that information on the EORTC/European BNCT trials at Petten
> may
> now be accessed via the webpage:
>
> www.jrc.nl/project/p1.html
>
> Please add it to your list of links.
>
> best wishes and looking forward to see you all in Osaka.
>
> Ray Moss
> ===============================================
> R.L.Moss, M.Sc., Ph.D.
> Project Leader JRC-BNCT Petten,
> HFR Unit,
> JRC-IAM Petten, The Netherlands
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
A new Italian BNCT web page is at http://users.unimi.it/~frixy/bnct/bnct.htm
> ....check out their neat little TAPIRO low-power fast-flux research
> reactor -- cylindrical core (diameter 12.58 cm and height 10.87 cm) made
> of 93.5 % enriched uranium metal in a uranium-molybdenum alloy (98.5 % U,
> 1.5 % Mo in weight) which is reflected totally by copper.
>
> ....the site also contains a link to the Czech BNCT web page, at
> http://omega.ujf.cas.cz/CFANR/k16.html
>
> quote:
> At present, LVR-15 reactor serves as the source of neutrons for
> BNCT. The thermal neutron beam and the beam of more energetic epithermal
> neutrons (1-10000 eV) have been tested for this purpose (Fig. 1).
> Typical configuration for epithermal neutron beam in the LVR-15
> geometry is demonstrated in Fig. 2. Fast neutrons escaping the core are
> transported through the inner shutter (can be filled by water) to a block
> of filters. Epithermal neutrons are collimated and transferred through the
> outer shutter to the irradiation point. Essential diameter of the beam is
> 11.5 cm with some possibility of reducing it. The shown configuration
> displays the core with the Be reflector, block of filters formed with
> B4C-thin layer, Pb-5cm, graphite-4cm, Al-55cm, S-15cm, Pb-11cm. Behind the
> Al-C collimator are 1cm Ti + B4C thin layer and the outer shutter.
>
> more reactor details are given at http://omega.ujf.cas.cz/CFANR/k3.html
> along with a nice diagram illustrating the reactor configuration.
>
> quote:
>
> The research reactor LWR-15 at the Nuclear Research Institute Rez,
> plc is a light water swimming pool type reactor with force cooling. The
> maximum reactor power is 10 MW thermal power. Fuel and control elements
> are of IRT-2M type enriched to 80% or 36% in 235U. Combined
> water-beryllium reflector is used. The reactor core grid has 80 cells, in
> the basic operation configuration 28-34 cells contain fuel elements. 2 - 4
> of the fuel cells are dedicated to channels for experimental probes and 3
> - 6 cells in the reflector and core periphery to vertical irradiation
> channels. Further 3 cells are dedicated to shut-down rod, 8 cells to
> compensation rods and 1 cell to fine control rod. The reactor core is
> situated in the reactor vessel (outer diameter 230 cm, total height of the
> vessel 623 cm), which is made of steel, the internal parts of the reactor
> are made of aluminum alloy. The reactor has a forced circulation of the
> coolant (light demineralised water). The NRI, plc. operates the reactor
> LVR-15 on a commercial basis. The reactor serves as a radiation source
> for:
> * material testing experiments of the reactor pressure vessel
> at water loops, where the temperature, pressure, dosis and water chemistry
> conditions similar to that existing in reactors of nuclear power stations
> are simulated
> * material testing at irradiation rigs
> * activation analysis with the pneumatic rabbit system
> * experiments at beam tubes in the field of basic and applied
> research
> * irradiation of iridium for medical purposes, irradiation for
> radio-pharmaceutical production
> * irradiation of silicon single crystals
> * experiments at the thermal column
> * in the field of neutron capture therapy
<><><><><><><><><><>
> the Argentinian Centro Atómico Bariloche has a web site, at
> http://cab.cnea.gov.ar/cab/ingNuclear/ingNuc_i.html
>
> ......and it turns out they also have a BNCT page at
> http://cab.cnea.gov.ar/cab/ingNuclear/ra6_i.html#a
>
> here's an excerpt :
> Boron-Neutron Capture Therapy
> Participants
> O Calzetta, H. Blaumann, F. Leszczynski, N. Rico, G. Gennuso, E.
> Scarnichia, P. Sensini
> Description
> The boron neutron capture therapy is based essentially in two steps :
> a) tumor doping with B10.
> b) neutron irradiation of the tumor and surroundings, with malignant tumor
> destruction produced by alpha particles of the (B10,n) reactions.
> It is possible to treat the cancer with thermal or epithermal neutrons.
> Thermal neutrons are effective either in the case of superficial tumors or
> making a direct cancer exposition, because thermal neutrons do not have a
> good tissue penetration. In the case of deep tumors the use of epithermal
> neutrons is necessary. In the RA-6 reactor we are working in both
> techniques, since the first one is easier to implement and it allows to
> develop methods that will be necessary in subsequent stages, like
> dosimetry and calculation methods.
> Major results obtained during the last year
> External Thermal Column modifications to get a thermal neutron beam of
> required characteristics.
> Neutron beam characterization (Neutron flux, neutron energy spectrum and
> gamma field contamination).
> Development of dosimetric techniques in tissues.
> Phantoms irradiations to get dose distributions for neutron and gamma
> fields.
> Tridimensional Montecarlo code implementation in PCs to modelate and
> simulate the whole process in order to improve the system.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
...and a book you might want to have a look at :
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1881539016/qid%3D958058604/104-899031
8-1594068
Rae of Hope
by Howard S., M.D. Irons
Our Price: $12.95
Paperback (December 1993)
Tabby House; ISBN: 1881539016
Availability: This title usually ships within 4-6 weeks. Please note that
titles occasionally go out of print or publishers run out of stock. We will
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Amazon.com Sales Rank: 491,371
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