Presently
there is no cure for persons suffering from glioblastoma
or other malignant brain tumors. Over 7000 people die
annually in the U.S. alone from this disease and many
others suffer substantial reduction in quality of life
from such brain tumors. The average life expectancy
for persons diagnosed with this disease is only 9 months!
Over 70,000 new brain tumors of all types are diagnosed
each year in this country, most of which could be effectively
treated with BNCT.
BNCT, Boron
Neutron Capture Therapy, is a totally unique approach
to cancer treatment, currently perfected for brain tumors
and melanoma, with possible future applications to other
cancers, such as breast, and prostate. It uses an intravenous
injection of boron, which concentrates in the cancer
cells rather than the normal cells. Neutrons from a
nuclear reactor are then applied; causing a lethal fission
reaction that kills the boron containing cancer cells
but does not damage the normal cells.
The initial
concept of BNCT was developed in the 1950's by Boston
neurosurgeon Dr. William Sweet. However, the science
was not yet advanced enough. One of his students, Dr.
Hiroshi Hatanaka, went on to develop BNCT further in
Japan where he was able to cure some patients with malignant
brain tumors, who went on to live normal lives for over
20 years. Building on these results, US researchers
began doing more work on BNCT in the late 1980's, and
treating the first human US patient in 1993.
FDA clinical
trials of BNCT have been done, using reactors at Brookhaven
National Laboratory, and MIT in Boston. So far the results
of these trials have been promising. After hundreds
of laboratory animal tests, 16patients were treated
at Brookhaven in 1995 and 1996.No patients had any harmful
side effects. The FDA considered this Phase I trial
adequate proof of safety and approved advancement to
Phase II for proof of effectiveness, currently in progress.
At MIT, researchers are treating both glioblastoma brain
tumors and melanoma tumors with BNCT. So far their results
are promising. Patients are living longer with fewer
side effects than with conventional treatment.
In November,
1997, a European BNCT Consortium began treating patients
using a reactor at Petten, Netherlands. In 1999, BNCT
patient treatment began at a reactor in Finland. In
Studsvik, Sweden, a reactor is currently being readied
to begin BNCT patient treatments. Thailand is currently
developing a BNCT treatment program. While drugs are
now available to selectively carry boron into brain
tumors and melanoma, there is further research being
done on developing drugs to selectively carry boron
into other cancers such as breast, prostate and lung.
Once these are available the same neutron beam could
treat those cancers as well, with potentially over a
hundred thousand cancer patients a year benefiting from
BNCT.
The best
reactor in the world for BNCT is the Power Burst Facility,
(PBF) located at the Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory, (INEEL), of the US Department
of Energy (DOE). This reactor has the power to penetrate
beyond the center of the brain as well as do the entire
treatment in 3 to 6 minutes compared to 40 minutes at
Brookhaven and several hours at MIT. In 1994 the Idaho
Brain Tumor Center leased the PBF reactor from DOE for
30 years, for the purpose of converting it into a large
scale brain tumor treatment center capable of treating
up to ten thousand patients a year. Although the original
lease expired before adequate private funding could
be obtained, the DOE would still like to see this humanitarian,
"swords into plowshares" conversion take place
as soon as adequate funds are available. It is an outpatient
treatment, completed in a single day, requiring neither
hospitalization nor surgery. Our goal is to make this
life saving treatment available quickly to thousands
of patients who are currently dying at the rate of over
20 deaths a day!
Idaho
Brain Tumor Center plans to convert this idle
surplus nuclear reactor to a state-of the-art cancer
treatment center. Initially malignant brain tumor patients
will be treated from all over the country. As additional
drugs are developed to carry boron into other cancers
the center will treat patients with lung, prostate,
pancreas and breast cancer as well. Given that the Japanese,
using a small, weak, reactor have been able to get a
60% cure rate on tumors considered hopeless in the US,
we expect to be able to improve that to a better than
80% cure rate with the powerful PBF reactor.
In addition
to benefiting cancer patients, this project has environmental
advantages. The DOE has a large supply of nuclear fuel
for this reactor in storage, which we can use at no
cost. At the same time, by burning up this fuel we save
the government from having to otherwise bury it in the
ground or continue to store it at risk to the environment.
In addition
to funding the costs of converting the reactor to a
cancer treatment center, the foundation will also fund
three additional related humanitarian needs:
Providing
funds for the treatment of indigent cancer patients
who need BNCT treatment. It is very important to the
founder of IBT&IC that cancer patients needing BNCT
treatment receive it even if they have no insurance
or lack enough money to pay for the entire cost of treatment.
In addition, funds will be provided for transportation
to the center, and also for a family member to accompany
the patient. Meals and lodging for patient and family
member will also be provided. Since IBT&IC will
be the only large scale source of BNCT treatment in
this country for the next decade or more, it is important
that financial provisions for treating indigent and
uninsured patients be made early in the project.
Providing
funds for research in improving the technology of BNCT
treatment, including the development of new drugs that
carry boron into other tumors, such as breast, prostate,
and lung cancer, to enable these cancers to also be
treated with BNCT. There are currently drugs available
for brain tumors, and melanoma. There is research going
on in several universities to develop new boron drugs
to treat other tumors with BNCT. This research, while
expensive, holds the promise of greatly expanding the
number of cancer patients who can be treated with BNCT.
The Foundation plans to fund many research projects
of scientists and doctors who have been working on this
development for years.
Currently
over 70,000-brain tumor patients are diagnosed in the
U.S. each year, 75% of whom could benefit from BNCT.
The average cost of treatment per patient is about $100,000.
Since the PBF reactor produces a powerful source of
high quality neutrons, it will only require 3 minutes
of exposure time per patient to do the BNCT treatment.
Therefore, with one shift per day, IBT&IC can treat
over 3,000 patients per year. With three shifts per
day, IBT&IC could treat 10,000 patients per year.
During
the operation of the PBF reactor, Mo99 will be produced
in 6day cycles. Production capacity will exceed one
and a half times the current consumption of Mo99 in
the entire Western Hemisphere, and provide a revenue
stream of over $100 million. Other medical isotopes
such as Iodine 131 (1-131) and Xenon 133 (Xe-13~) are
produced as a by-product of Mo99 production. A biotech
pharmaceutical company has contacted IBT&IC because
they project a need for $40-50 million in 1-131isotope.
The end user market for nuclear medicine in the U.S.
today is estimated to be over $3 billion.
