AB017. Perceptions of Canadian radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiation trainees about the feasibility and need of boron neutron capture therapy in Canada: a national survey
Abstract

AB017. Perceptions of Canadian radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiation trainees about the feasibility and need of boron neutron capture therapy in Canada: a national survey

Ming Pan1,2,3, Retage Al-Bader1,2, John Agapito2,3

1Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Windsor Regional Hospital, Windsor, ON, Canada; 3Department of Physics, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

Correspondence to: Ming Pan, MD, MSc. Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; Department of Radiation Oncology, Windsor Regional Hospital, 2220 Kildare Road, Windsor, ON N8W 2X3, Canada; Department of Physics, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada. Email: ming.pan@wrh.on.ca.

Background: We are planning to develop accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (AB-BNCT). However, there is no clear understanding about how Canadian radiation oncologists (RO), medical physicists (MP), and their trainees perceive BNCT and its impact on radiation oncology as a discipline. The purpose of this study is to identify the challenges to build the first BNCT Center in Canada.

Methods: This survey contains 17 questions in three domains: eligibility, demographics, and specific knowledge of BNCT. Eligibility is limited to RO with an independent/academic license, board-certified MP, or residents in a formal residency-training program. It is voluntary, anonymous, and without compensation. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: We received 118 valid responses from all 10 provinces: 70 RO (59.3%) and 48 MP (40.7%), including seven RO and two MP residents. Age group, gender, and years of practice are well representing current workforce (e.g., 40.7% in age group 35–45 years, 72% male, and 30.5% had 10–20 years independent practice). Most know BNCT’s rationale (60.2%). Only 1.4% RO referred, observed, or participated in BNCT, vs. 0%, 2.1%, and 2.1% in MP, respectively. Many do not know the reasons of early BNCT’s failure (44.1%). Others blame lack of clinical trials and limited neutron sources (42.4%), nuclear reactors not suited to perform treatment (34.7%), no modern treatment planning system (34.7%), lack of precision in measuring boron concentration in vivo (28.8%), no effective boron compounds (24.6%), or presence of undesired radiation in neutron beam (16.9%). Only 5–29.7% correctly identified the current global BNCT developments and new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guideline being revised in 2020. BNCT was recommended for the four common indications by 15.7–18.6% of RO. The majority (87.3%) agreed that Canada should join BNCT research and 88.1% of RO/MP would refer an eligible cancer patient to a Canadian BNCT center when it becomes available.

Conclusions: Most RO/MP support Canada to join BNCT global research. However, the limited knowledge that Canadian RO/MP have about current global BNCT practice and lack of experience remains a challenge. Further educational sessions to promote BNCT is necessary to realize this innovative cancer treatment in Canada.

Keywords: Radiation oncology; boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT); national survey

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Schulich Summer Research Training Program (SRTP) and Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada for funding, in addition to the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) and Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP) for distribution of the survey.

Footnote

Funding: This work was supported by the Schulich Summer Research Training Program and Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada (No. SRTP2022).

Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tro.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tro-25-ab017/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. No patients were involved in this study and approval from the Ethics Committee was not necessary. Participation in this survey was voluntary and anonymous, and informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the noncommercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/tro-25-ab017
Cite this abstract as: Pan M, Al-Bader R, Agapito J. AB017. Perceptions of Canadian radiation oncologists, medical physicists and radiation trainees about the feasibility and need of boron neutron capture therapy in Canada: a national survey. Ther Radiol Oncol 2025;9:AB017.

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