Remote Afterloading for Neutron Brachytherapy Using Californium-252

Despite a pronounced technical process attained in radiotherapy of malignant neoplasms, no remarkable improvement in the treatment results has been achieved. The reason for this stagnation is the interaction between tumor cell and photon radiation. Tumor resistance against photon bombardment can be broken down by applying high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation-based treatment. The discovery of californium-252 (252Cf) nuclide, a source of gamma neutron radiation, established a precondition for using neutrons in tumor brachytherapy. The design of a remote afterloading device using 252Cf sources remains an unsolved problem.