Neutron Capture Enhanced Particle Therapy: a frontier in hadron therapy

Abstract

Neutron Capture Enhanced Particle Therapy (NCEPT) is a radical new paradigm in radiotherapy being developed by an international team led by ANSTO. NCEPT combines the precision of particle therapy with the cancer-specific targeting capability of neutron capture therapy (NCT). NCEPT magnifies the impact of particle therapy by capturing neutrons - produced internally at the target as a by-product of treatment - inside cancer cells, where they deliver extra dose to the tumour (Fig. 1). NCEPT uses low-toxicity agents containing boron-10 and gadolinium-157 which concentrate in cancer cells, already approved or under development for other medical applications. Simulations and experiments on cancer cells have yielded extremely compelling results, indicating that NCEPT achieves equivalent cancer cell control with between ⅓ and ⅕ of the radiation dose compared to particle therapy alone. NCEPT has generated considerable excitement within the radiation oncology communities in Australia, USA, and in particular in Japan, where it has been dubbed “the future of ion-beam radiotherapy”. Initial discussions regarding the first clinical trials in Japan are currently in progress.