Cell Cluster Models for Microdosimetry

The most important dose component in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is the one resulting from the 10B(n,α)7Li reaction. This dose is more tumor than normal tissue selective, due to the accumulation of the boron carrier compound in the tumor. The total weighted dose in BNCT is a sum of physical dose components multiplied by the weighting factors of each component. The weighting factors are related to the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of each radiation quality (LET characteristics) and, in case of boron, also to the pharmacokinetics (microdistribution) of the boron compound. The weighting factor of the radiation dose is inaccurate as it is a function of the boron compound and the tissue characteristics. Due to the short range of the oc-induced dose, the boron distribution should be known in cellular—and favorably—in subcellular level to define the accurate weighting factors in different tissues for the boron dose.1