In vitro biological effectiveness of JRR-4 epithermal neutron beam. Experiment under free air beam and in water phantom. Cooperative research

The surviving curve and the biological effectiveness factor of dose components generated in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) were separately determined in neutron beams at Japan Research Reactor No.4. Surviving fraction of V79 Chinese hamster cell with or without sup 1 sup 0 B was obtained using an epithermal neutron beam (ENB), a mixed thermal-epithermal neutron beam (TNB-1), and a thermal neutron beam (TNB-2), which were used or planned to use for BNCT clinical trial. The cell killing effect of these neutron beams with or without the presence of sup 1 sup 0 B depended highly on the neutron beam used, according to the epithermal and fast neutron content in the beam. The biological effectiveness factor values of the boron capture reaction for ENB, TNB-1 and TNB-2 were 3.99+-0.24, 3.04+-0.19 and 1.43+-0.08, respectively. The biological effectiveness factor values of the high-LET dose components based on the hydrogen recoils and the nitrogen capture reaction were 2.50+-0.32, 2.34+-0.30 and 2.17+-0.28 for ENB, TNB-1 and TNB-2, respectively. The biological effectiveness factor values of the neutron and photon components were 1.22+-0.16, 1.23+-0.16 and 1.21+-0.16, respectively. The depth function of biological effectiveness factor in water phantom and the difference in biological effectiveness factor among boron compounds were also determined. The experimental determination of biological effectiveness factor outlined in this paper is applicable to the dose calculation for each dose component of the neutron beams and contribute to an accurate biological effectiveness factor as comparison with a neutron beam at a different facility employed in ongoing and planned BNCT clinical trials.