Development of utilization technology at JRR-4
Goal of development of medical irradiation (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy)
・Development of neutron beams suitable for the target condition of a patient
・Development of a dose planning system and a patient setting system
Development of a medical irradiation facility
The heavy water system, including aluminum and a heavy water tank, is used to moderate the neutron beam. Four heavy water layers are separated to operate independently; thus, the optimal heavy water thickness can be selected for both thermal and epithermal beams to meet the requirement of each treatment. The tank is installed along with a cadmium filter, which can be set to change the beam condition from the thermal to the epithermal mode.
Reference
Y Torii, K Yamamoto, T Kishi, N Hori, H Kumada, Y Horiguchi “The BNCT Irradiation Facility of JRR-4” Ninth International Symposium on Neutron Capture Therapy for Cancer, 2000, pp241-242
Development of a dose planning system for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT)
To carry out the BNCT procedure on the basis of accurate dosimetry by numerical simulation, the JAEA computational dosimetry system (JCDS) has been developed at JAEA. Moreover, the patient setting system in BNCT, which supports settings for individual patients, has been developed alongside the development of the JCDS. The purpose of developing these systems is to enable BNCT clinical trials to be performed with proper treatment planning and its precise implementation by integrating this new dosimetry system and the patient setting system.
reference
H Kumada, K Yamamoto, A Matsumura, T Yamamoto, Y Nakagawa, K Nakai and T Kageji “Verification of the computational dosimetry system in JAERI (JCDS) for boron neutron capture therapy”:Phys. Med. Biol. 49 (2004) 3353-3365
