10235-TB-9 TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH OF BORON NEUTRON CAPTURE THERAPY FOR SPINAL CORD AND SPINE TUMOR IN ANIMAL MODELS

Abstract BACKGROUND Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a particle beam therapy that can target at the cellular level. This study evaluated the effectiveness of BNCT on spinal cord gliomas using animal models. METHODS F98 rat glioma or 9L rat gliosarcoma cell lines were implanted in rats' spinal cords to create a model. BPA, a boron compound, was administered and the biodistribution compared. Neutron irradiation was performed post-BPA injection, and the effectiveness was evaluated by survival period and hindlimb muscle strength using the Basso-Bresnahan-Beattie (BBB) score. RESULTS Significant boron accumulation was observed in tumors. In irradiation experiments, the BNCT group showed suppressed BBB score decrease and a significantly extended survival period compared to other groups. No cases of death or lower limb function decline were observed in the sham-BNCT group. CONCLUSION BNCT for spinal cord gliomas was shown to be safe and effective. The spinal cord is an organ at risk in irradiation for spinal cord and spine tumors. As it has a history of being a safety evaluation organ when applying BNCT to the central nervous system, BNCT may be applicable to cases such as recurrence after radiation therapy.