First BNCT treatment of a skin melanoma in Argentina: dosimetric analysis and clinical outcome

Abstract A Phase I/II protocol for treating cutaneuos melanomas with BNCT was designed in Argentina by the Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica and the medical center Instituto Roffo. The first of a cohort of thirty planned patients was treated on October 9, 2003. This article depicts the protocol-based procedure and describes the first clinical case, treatment regime and planning, patient irradiation, retrospective dosimetric analysis and clinical outcome. Considering the low acute skin toxicity and the complete response in 21 of the 25 subcutaneous melanoma nodules treated, a second irradiation was performed in a different location of the extremity of the same patient. The corresponding clinical outcome is still under evaluation.