Boron neutron capture process (BNCP)

The boron neutron capture process is the nuclear reaction at the heart of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), an advanced cancer treatment. In BNCT, patients are administered a boron-10-containing compound that preferentially accumulates in tumor cells. Tumors are then irradiated with thermal or epithermal neutrons. When a boron-10 nucleus captures a neutron, it undergoes a nuclear fission reaction, yielding a high-energy alpha particle (helium-4 nucleus) and a lithium-7 nucleus. These particles have extremely short ranges, concentrating their cytotoxic damage within tumor cells that contain the boron agent. This process allows for selective destruction of malignant cells while sparing adjacent normal tissues. Clinical application of BNCT relies on the selective delivery and retention of boron in tumor cells, precise neutron irradiation, and accurate dosimetry. The process is not a molecular drug target, but a physical interaction leveraged in a therapeutic context

Other names

Boron neutron capture reaction10B(n, α)7Li reactionBNCT reactionBoron neutron capture therapy process

Indirect: Boron-10 containing agents accumulate in tumor cells; upon irradiation with thermal/epithermal neutrons, Boron-10 nuclei capture neutrons and undergo nuclear fission, releasing high-energy alpha particles and lithium nuclei that cause lethal DNA damage selectively in Boron-enriched tumor cells