Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Aug 23;11(8):825.
doi: 10.3390/jpm11080825.

A Critical Review of Radiation Therapy: From Particle Beam Therapy (Proton, Carbon, and BNCT) to Beyond

Yoshitaka Matsumoto  1   2 , Nobuyoshi Fukumitsu  3 , Hitoshi Ishikawa  4 , Kei Nakai  1   2 , Hideyuki Sakurai  1   2
Affiliations
Review

A Critical Review of Radiation Therapy: From Particle Beam Therapy (Proton, Carbon, and BNCT) to Beyond

Yoshitaka Matsumoto et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the role of particle therapy-a novel radiation therapy (RT) that has shown rapid progress and widespread use in recent years-in multidisciplinary treatment. Three types of particle therapies are currently used for cancer treatment: proton beam therapy (PBT), carbon-ion beam therapy (CIBT), and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). PBT and CIBT have been reported to have excellent therapeutic results owing to the physical characteristics of their Bragg peaks. Variable drug therapies, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy, are combined in various treatment strategies, and treatment effects have been improved. BNCT has a high dose concentration for cancer in terms of nuclear reactions with boron. BNCT is a next-generation RT that can achieve cancer cell-selective therapeutic effects, and its effectiveness strongly depends on the selective 10B accumulation in cancer cells by concomitant boron preparation. Therefore, drug delivery research, including nanoparticles, is highly desirable. In this review, we introduce both clinical and basic aspects of particle beam therapy from the perspective of multidisciplinary treatment, which is expected to expand further in the future.

Keywords: boron neutron capture therapy; carbon-ion beam therapy; combination therapy; drug delivery; particle beam therapy; proton beam therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Expansion of particle beam therapy facility in Japan.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Depth-dose distributions of clinical X-ray, proton, and carbon-ion beams and (b) the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between RBE, OER, and LETs.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Selective cell destruction using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Chemical structures of (a) BPA and (b) BSH, and (c) molecular weight of various compounds.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The mechanism of action of ND-BSH. BSH is included in the lumen of ND201 and recognizes cancer cells targeting the folate receptor.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(a) Schematic illustration of molecular design for PBA-decorated polymeric nanoparticle as a novel BNCT agent and (b) different accumulation mechanism from BPA-f.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Multifunctional cancer growth inhibitory effect by SMA-glucosamine borate complex targeting treatment-resistant cancer cells.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Newly developed accelerator-based neutron source (Tsukuba model).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wilson R.R. Radiological use of fast protons. Radiology. 1946;47:487–491. doi: 10.1148/47.5.487. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lawrence J.H., Tobias C.A., Born J.L., Mc C.R., Roberts J.E., Anger H.O., Low-Beer B.V., Huggins C.B. Pituitary irradiation with high-energy proton beams: A preliminary report. Cancer Res. 1958;18:121–134. - PubMed
    1. Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group. [(accessed on 22 July 2021)];2021 Available online: https://www.ptcog.ch/
    1. Suit H., DeLaney T., Goldberg S., Paganetti H., Clasie B., Gerweck L., Niemierko A., Hall E., Flanz J., Hallman J., et al. Proton vs carbon ion beams in the definitive radiation treatment of cancer patients. Radiother. Oncol. J. Eur. Soc. Ther. Radiol. Oncol. 2010;95:3–22. doi: 10.1016/j.radonc.2010.01.015. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mohan R., Grosshans D. Proton therapy—Present and future. Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2017;109:26–44. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2016.11.006. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources