The Petten BNCT Project

Abstract

The revival of BNCT over the last decade, stimulated the formation in 1987 of the European Collaboration group on BNCT. The multi-disciplinary nature of BNCT has drawn together groups of researchers from many European institutes who are now collaborating in an effort to achieve the implementation of BNCT in Europe at the earliest possible date. To accomplish this, it was well recognised that of the two basic preconditions for successful BNCT, namely: i) the accumulation of enough boron in the tumour cells with sufficient clearance of the surrounding tissues and ii) the delivery of enough thermal neutrons at the tumour site to give rise to a sufficient number of capture events; it was the latter, with respect to identifying a suitable neutron source in Europe, that needed the most attention from the Collaboration group. The former condition had to some extent been resolved with the use of BSH, for example, and the development of other potentially promising compounds. For the latter condition, the neutron source had to have not only the special prerequisite nuclear and geometric characteristics, but also the financial resources and expertise to realise a facility. It was for this reason (but not the only), that the High Flux Materials Testing Reactor (HFR) at Petten became involved in the European BNCT project.