Estimation of absorbed dose in the covering skin of human melanoma treated by neutron capture therapy.

A patient with malignant melanoma was treated by thermal neutron capture therapy using 10B-paraboronophenylalanine. The compound was injected subcutaneously into ten locations in the tumor-surrounding skin, and the patient was then irradiated with thermal neutrons from the Musashi Reactor at reactor power of 100 KW and neutron flux of 1.2 X 10(9) n/cm2/s. Total absorbed dose to the skin was 11.7-12.5 Gy in the radiation field. The dose equivalents of these doses were estimated as 21.5 and 24.4 Sv, respectively. Early skin reaction after irradiation was checked from day 1 to day 60. The maximum and mean skin scores were 2.0 and 1.5, respectively, and the therapy was safely completed as far as skin reaction was concerned. Some factors influencing the absorbed dose and dose equivalent to the skin are discussed.