Spectromicroscopy of boron for the optimization of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for cancer

We used synchrotron spectromicroscopy to study the microscopic distribution of baron in rat brain tumour and healthy tissue in the field of baron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The success of this experimental cancer therapy depends on the preferential uptake of B-10 in tumour cells after injection of a baron compound (in our case B12H11SH, or BSH). With the Mephisto (microscope a emission de photoelectrons par illumination synchrotronique de type onduleur) spectromicroscope, high-magnification imaging and chemical analysis was performed on brain tissue sections from a rat carrying an implanted brain tumour and the results were compared with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) detection of boron in bulk tissue. Boron was found to have been taken up more favourably by regions of tumour rather than healthy tissue, but the resulting boron distribution in the tumour was inhomogeneous. The results demonstrate that Mephisto can perform microchemical analysis of tissue sections, detect and localize the presence of boron with submicron spatial resolution. The application of this technique to boron in brain tissue can therefore be used to evaluate the current efforts to optimize BNC therapy.