Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is radiotherapy in which a nuclear reaction between boron-10 (10B) in tumor cells and neutrons produces alpha particles and recoiling7Li nuclei with an extremely short range, leading to the destruction of the tumor cells. Although the neutron source has traditionally been a nuclear reactor, accelerators to generate neutron beams have been developed and commercialized. Therefore, this treatment will become more widespread. Recurrent head and neck cancer (HNC) close to the body surface is considered a candidate for BNCT using the boron compound boronophenylalanine (BPA) and has been found to be highly responsive to this treatment. However, some cases recur early after the completion of the treatment, which needs to be addressed. Ultrasound is a highly safe diagnostic method. Ultrasound with microbubbles is expected to promote the uptake of BPA into tumor cells. Ultrasound also has the ability to improve the sensitivity of tumor cells to radiotherapy. In addition, high-intensity focused ultrasound may improve the efficacy of BNCT via its thermal and mechanical effects. This review is not systematic but outlines the current status of BPA-based BNCT and proposes plans to reduce the recurrence rate of HNC after BNCT in combination with ultrasound.
硼中子俘获疗法（BNCT）是一种放射治疗方法，其原理是利用肿瘤细胞中的硼-10（10B）与中子发生核反应，产生射程极短的α粒子和反冲7Li核，从而破坏肿瘤细胞。尽管传统中子源为核反应堆，但用于产生中子束的加速器已得到开发并实现商业化，因此该疗法将得到更广泛的应用。对于靠近体表的复发性头颈部癌症（HNC），使用硼化合物硼苯丙氨酸（BPA）的BNCT被认为是一种可行的治疗方案，且已证实对该类肿瘤具有显著疗效。然而，部分病例在治疗结束后早期即出现复发，这一问题亟待解决。超声是一种安全性极高的诊断方法。微泡超声技术有望促进BPA在肿瘤细胞中的摄取。此外，超声还能提高肿瘤细胞对放射治疗的敏感性。同时，高强度聚焦超声可能通过其热效应和机械效应增强BNCT的疗效。本文虽非系统性综述，但概述了基于BPA的BNCT现状，并提出了结合超声技术降低BNCT后头颈部癌症复发率的方案。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家