boron and Meningioma

Topics: Animals; Autoradiography; Bone Neoplasms; Boron; Brain; Brain Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor; Glioma; Humans; Hyperthermia, Induced; Isotopes; Melanoma; Meningeal Neoplasms; Meningioma; Neutrons; Nuclear Reactors; Osteosarcoma; Radiotherapy Dosage; Sarcoma; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Meningiomas are the most frequently diagnosed primary intracranial tumors in adults. Surgical resection is preferred if the meningioma is accessible; for those that are not suitable for surgical resection, radiotherapy should be considered to improve local tumor control. However, recurrent meningiomas are challenging to treat, as the recurrent tumor might be located in the previously irradiated area. Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a highly selective radiotherapy modality in which the cytotoxic effect focuses mainly on cells with increased uptake of boron-containing drugs. In this article, we describe four patients with recurrent meningiomas treated with BNCT in Taiwan. The mean boron-containing drug tumor-to-normal tissue uptake ratio was 4.125, and the tumor mean dose was 29.414 GyE, received via BNCT. The treatment response showed two stable diseases, one partial response, and one complete response. We also introduce and support the effectiveness and safety of BNCT as an alternative salvage treatment for recurrent meningiomas.

Topics: Adult; Boron; Boron Compounds; Boron Neutron Capture Therapy; Brain Neoplasms; Humans; Meningeal Neoplasms; Meningioma

We studied the uptake of boron after 100 mg/kg BPA infusion in three meningioma and five schwannoma patients as a pre-BNCT feasibility study. With average tumour-to-whole blood boron concentrations of 2.5, we discuss why BNCT could, and probably should, be developed to treat severe forms of the studied tumours. However, analysing 72 tumour and 250 blood samples yielded another finding: the plasma-to-whole blood boron concentrations varied with time, suggesting that the assumed constant boron ratio of 1:1 between normal brain tissue and whole blood deserves re-assessment.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Boron; Boron Compounds; Boron Neutron Capture Therapy; Brain Neoplasms; Feasibility Studies; Female; Fructose; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Male; Meningioma; Middle Aged; Neurilemmoma; Phenylalanine; Tissue Distribution; Young Adult

Borocaptate sodium (Na2B12H11SH) is a potentially useful compound for boron neutron capture therapy of intracranial tumors. Tumor and normal tissue boron concentrations were evaluated in 30 dogs with naturally occurring intracranial tumors after i.v. borocaptate sodium infusion (55 mg boron/kg). Postmortem tissue boron concentrations were measured for three postinfusion time periods (2, 6, and 12 h) by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Mean boron concentrations for extracerebral tumors were 40.6 +/- 16.9 (2 h; n = 8), 25.9 +/- 11.7 (6 h; n = 5), and 8.6 +/- 4.5 micrograms boron/g (12 h; n = 6). Mean boron concentrations for intracerebral tumors were 30.6 +/- 17.5 (2 h; n = 7) and 2.9 +/- 1.8 micrograms boron/g (6 h; n = 4). Mean tumor boron concentrations were lower at longer postinfusion times. The tumor:normal brain boron concentration ranged from 0.8 to 19.8. Tumor:blood boron concentrations were less than one for all but three dogs and ranged from 0.04 to 1.4. Mean peritumor boron concentrations were highly variable but exceeded that of normal brain in 10 of 20 dogs. In some dogs, the mean peritumor boron concentration was similar to or exceeded the tumor boron concentration. Distant or contralateral normal brain had consistently low boron concentrations. Some cranial and systemic tissues had high boron concentrations, indicating substantial extravascular boron. The spontaneous animal tumors provided a realistic spectrum of data and enabled extensive sampling of diseased and normal tissues. The biodistribution of boron from borocaptate sodium administration was partially favorable because of high tumor boron concentrations. Empirical radiation dose tolerance studies should be used to determine the impact of the unfavorably high boron concentration of blood and some cranial tissues.

Topics: Adenoma; Animals; Blood-Brain Barrier; Borohydrides; Boron; Boron Neutron Capture Therapy; Brain; Brain Neoplasms; Dogs; Meningioma; Nasal Cavity; Nose Neoplasms; Pituitary Neoplasms; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Tissue Distribution

Fifteen brain tumor patients were treated with slow neutron. It proved to extend life span of terminal glioblastoma patients irresponsive to Co-60, to 2 years, but quality of survival is poor due to complications of previous treatments. Two glioblastoma patients excluding other treatments, the only genuine Boron-neutron capture therapy cases, have been living for 39+ and 34+ months working full-scale without neurological deficit.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Autoradiography; Boron; Brain Neoplasms; Child; Cobalt Radioisotopes; Ependymoma; Female; Glioblastoma; Humans; Male; Medulloblastoma; Meningioma; Middle Aged; Neutrons; Radioisotope Teletherapy; Radiotherapy Dosage