Current status of boron neutron capture therapy of high grade gliomas and recurrent head and neck cancer

Radiation Oncology

Table 3 BNCT clinical trials in Japan using epithermal or mixed thermal & epithermal neutron beams for patients with brain tumors

Medical institution	Neutron source	Treatment dates	Tumor type & No. of patients^a	Boron compound & treatment^b	Clinical outcome	Ref.
University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan	JRR-4, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai, Ibaraki, Japan	1999-2002	5 GBM	BSH 100 mg/kg in 1–1.5 h	MeST: 23.2 mos. (GBM)	[96]
			4 AA	IO-BNCT	MeST: 25.9 mos. (AA)
		1998-2007	7 GBM	BSH 5 g in 1 h, IO-BNCT	MeST: 23.3 mos.	[97]
					2 y OS: 43%
		1998-2007	8 GBM	BSH 5 g in 1 h & BPA 250 mg/kg in 1 h	MeST: 27.1 mos.	[97]
					2 y OS: 63%
				BNCT + XRT
University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan	JRR-4 or KURR (Kyoto University Research Reactor, Osaka, Japan)	1998-2000	6 GBM	BSH 64.9-178.6 mg/kg	MeST: 15.5 mos.	[98–100]
				IO-BNCT	2 y OS: 0%
		2001-2004	11 GBM	BSH 64.9-178.6 mg/kg	MeST: 19.5 mos.	[98–100]
				IO-BNCT	2 y OS: 27%
		2005-2008	6 GBM	BSH 100 mg/kg & BPA 250 mg/kg	MeST: 26.2 mos.	[98–100]
					2 y OS: 50%
				BNCT + XRT
Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan	KURR	2002-2003	10 GBM	BSH 5 g & BPA 250 mg/kg in 1 h	MeST: 14.5 mos.	[101, 102]
					2 y OS: 20%
		2003-2006	11 GBM	BSH 5 g & BPA 700 mg/kg in 6 h	MeST: 23.5 mos.	[102]
					2 y OS: 27.3%
				BNCT + XRT
		2002-2007	19 rGBM	BSH 100 mg/kg & BPA 250 mg/kg in 1 h or	MeST: 10.8 mos. post BNCT	[103]
			2 rAA, 1 rAOA
				BSH 100 mg/kg & BPA 700 mg/kg in 6 h	2 y OS: 14%
		2005-2006	7 rMRM	BSH 0–5 g	RI: 100%	[104, 105]
				BPA 500–700 mg/kg in 3–4 h

^aIncluding other disease sites and patients treated off-protocol, the total number of patients treated at some reactors is much greater than reported here, for FiR-1, ~260, for KURR, >107, and for JRR-4, >200 patients. ^bTreatment is indicated only in cases when it is not solely external beam BNCT.
Abbreviations: r recurrent, GBM glioblastoma multiforme, IC MM intracranial metastatic melanoma, AA anaplastic astrocytoma, MMng malignant meningioma, MC mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, AOA anaplastic oligoastrocytoma, MRM meningioma related malignancy, IO-BNCT intraoperative BNCT, XRT external beam radiation therapy (photons), MeST median survival time, 2 y OS 2 year overall survival, RI radiographic improvement, NA not available.

ISSN: 1748-717X