Boron Neutron Capture Treatment Dose Correction Using Blood Boron
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radiotherapy methods, such as photon and electron therapy, cause significant damage to normal tissues due to their inability to differentiate between tumor cells and surrounding tissues, while radioresistant tumors like glioblastoma and melanoma are difficult to treat effectively. Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) offers a solution by using boron-containing drugs to target tumor cells, but accurate irradiation dose control is crucial to minimize normal tissue damage, and existing methods fail to account for variations in actual blood boron concentration, leading to treatment errors.
Innovation Solution
A BNCT system with a neutron beam irradiation module, blood boron concentration detecting device, treatment planning module, irradiation dose correction module, and control module, which adjusts the irradiation dose based on real-time actual blood boron concentration using a BF3 proportional counter to ensure accurate dose delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional radiotherapy (photon or electron therapy) is used to treat tumor cells, then tumor cells are killed, but a large number of normal tissues on the beam path are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the radiation effect location-dependent through the boron neutron capture reaction. Boron-10 is selectively concentrated in tumor cells, and when epithermal neutrons are irradiated, the capture reaction occurs locally within tumor cells, producing alpha particles and lithium nuclei that destroy only the tumor cells containing boron, while sparing surrounding normal tissues that do not contain boron.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses boron-10 as an intermediary substance that mediates between the neutron beam and the tumor cells. The boron-containing drugs are administered to the patient and accumulate in tumor cells, serving as a mediator that converts the non-discriminatory neutron radiation into selective tumor cell destruction through the nuclear capture reaction, while normal tissues without boron remain unaffected.
2Reliability
If high relative biological effectiveness radiotherapy (proton therapy, heavy particle therapy, or neutron capture therapy) is used to treat radioresistant malignant tumors, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but treatment cost and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by using the patient's own blood boron concentration as the basis for treatment planning and dose calculation. Instead of relying on preset standard values that may not match individual patient conditions, the system automatically measures the actual blood boron concentration and uses this information to calculate and adjust the irradiation dose, making the treatment process自适应 (self-adapting) to each patient's actual drug uptake and distribution.
3Ease of manufacture
If preset blood boron concentration is used for simulation and calculation to estimate irradiation dose, then treatment expenses are reduced and treatment process is simplified, but error in treatment plan occurs due to difference between preset and actual blood boron concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by measuring the actual blood boron concentration before treatment and using this measured value to correct and adjust the treatment plan. The system feeds back the actual boron concentration information to the treatment planning system, which then recalculates the irradiation dose to ensure accuracy, creating a closed-loop control system that eliminates the errors associated with using preset standard values.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system reduces treatment costs and simplifies the process by eliminating the need for continuous drug injection and blood sampling, while accurately correcting irradiation doses to match target doses, minimizing errors due to blood boron concentration variations.
Implementation Method 1
with a large capture cross section of the boron (10B), the neutron capture reaction (10B(n, a)7Li) is applied in the BNCT
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application relates to a boron neutron capture treatment system and an irradiation dose correction method. The boron neutron capture treatment system comprises a neutron beam irradiation module for generating a neutron beam, a blood boron concentration detection device for detecting the actual concentration of blood boron in an irradiated body, a treatment planning module for generating a preset treatment plan, an irradiation dose correction module for acquiring a corrected irradiation dose according to the actual concentration of blood boron, and a control module. The control module is configured for retrieving the preset treatment plan from the treatment planning module and controlling the irradiation time of the neutron beam irradiation module according to the corrected irradiation dose, such that an irradiation dose received by a patient reaches a target dose, thereby reducing the error of the irradiation dose caused by a change in the concentration of blood boron during actual irradiation.