New radiation therapy treatment developed
A new radiation therapy treatment developed by the University of Helsinki could offer hope to the thousands of patients around the world suffering from head-and-neck cancers. In their Phase I/II study, researchers at the Finnish university found that locally recurring head-and-neck cancers responded positively to Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). An experimental form of targeted radiation treatment for cancer, BNCT involves first infusing a boron-containing compound (boronophenylalanine) into a peripheral vein until it accumulates in the cancer tissue. The cancer is then subsequently irradiated with neutrons obtained from a nuclear reactor, which causes the boron atoms to split within the cancerous tissue as a result of the boron neutron capture reaction. The resulting smaller particles cause a large radiation effect within the tumour tissue, which destroys the cancer cells. 'The technique allows targeting of a high dosage of radiation to the tumour while allowing sparing of the adjacent normal tissues from the highest doses of radiation,' reads a statement from the University of Helsinki. 'Boron-mediated targeting of radiation allows treatment of patients who can no longer be treated with conventional radiation therapy.' The novel therapy is administered as a single one-day treatment that may be repeated if necessary. Reporting the results of their clinical trials in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology & Physics, the researchers believe their findings to be clinically significant as they open up a new field for BNCT. The technique has thus far only been used for the treatment of some brain tumours. The trials involved 12 patients diagnosed with head-and-neck cancers which had recurred locally after surgery and conventional radiation therapy. Ten out of the 12 patients had substantial tumour shrinkage following BNCT, and in seven cases the scientists found that the tumour had disappeared completely. As for the adverse effects of the treatment, they are reported as moderate and resembling those of conventional radiation therapy. The sponsors, Boneca Corporation, have decided to expand the study, and up to 30 subjects will now be allowed to enter the study protocol. This will be in addition to other phase I and II clinical trials evaluating BNCT in the treatment of primary glioblastoma (a highly malignant brain tumour) and anaplastic astrocytomas (a type of brain tumour) that have recurred after conventional radiation therapy has failed. 'Our plan is to investigate BNCT in the treatment of cancers located elsewhere in the body that cannot be effectively managed by any known treatment,' says Professor Heikki Joensuu. 'The current treatment is a result of a long period of research, a proof of academic expertise, and a model for effective collaboration between the Helsinki University Central Hospital, the University of Helsinki, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and the company,' says Boneca Corporation's Managing Director, Markku Pohjola. So far, over 100 cancer patients have received BNCT at the Boneca Corporation's facilities.
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