Young Boron Neutron Capture Therapy Meeting (YBNCT) 2022 Communication Task Force (CTF) edition——no frontiers in BNCT

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As you may know, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the World. International efforts have been concentrated on the development of new treatment options that could destroy the tumor while preserving organ and normal tissues. Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an effective anticancer therapy, non-mutilating and organ-preserving. It is a tumor-selective particle radiotherapy that consists of one or at least two applications and has been useful to treat diffuse or irregularly shaped solid tumors. BNCT is considered a binary treatment, as it combines the administration of a drug containing ¹⁰B, a non-radioactive isotope of boron, with thermal or epithermal neutron beam irradiation. The capture reaction of a thermal neutron by ¹⁰B results in high linear energy transfer particles that deposit their energy along a path of one cell diameter. BNCT has been tested for different type of tumors, and although it has improved patients’ quality of life, induced partial and complete responses and prolonged patient survival, there is room for improvement. New boron compounds, strategies and the introduction of hospital-based accelerators are necessary innovations that will increase significantly BNCT therapeutic effect and the number of patients that could be treated with BNCT. As many countries around the World are working hard on this therapy, meetings are crucial to be updated and share the latest advancements, to establish collaborations enhancing each group capabilities. Founded in 1983, the International Society of Neutron Capture Therapy (ISNCT) is a multidisciplinary nonprofit professional and educational association that promotes the development of BNCT, aiming to work all together, with “no frontiers”.

The Young BNCT Meetings (YBNCT) are biennial multinational conferences focused on the activities of early-career researchers and students, that seek to provide an environment that encourages communication and collaboration among all scientists and others involved in NCT worldwide. In 2022, the YBNCT was held virtually between November 14th and 18th, from 10:00 to 14:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The YBNCT2022 had 300 participants registered (full capacity), more than 150 persons connected simultaneously during the meeting, including newcomers to the BNCT community. Almost 100 contributions were presented by young researchers, divided in 14 sessions of oral presentations and 2 poster sessions. The sessions covered all the relevant areas in BNCT research: biology, chemistry, clinics, imaging and physics. Also 5 educational sessions were organized together with social virtual events to enhance people interaction and promote new collaborations. Awards were also given to recognize young researcher´s investigations and presentations. This successful conference was possible thanks to a coordinated and collaborative effort of all ISNCT, sponsors and the audience.

To enhance the visibility of the YBNCT2022, in 2023, the Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (TRO) Journal and the International Society of Neutron Capture Therapy worked together to publish contributions of the Young BNCT Meeting 2022 in a Special Issue dedicated to the YBNCT2022 (https://tro.amegroups.org/announcement/view/180). Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (Ther Radiol Oncol; TRO; 2616-2768; https://tro.amegroups.com) was originated in 1994 and was launched in September 2017. It publishes papers describing original research, case reports and clinical investigations related to radiation oncology. This includes clinical radiotherapy, radiobiology, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hyperthermia, tumor biology, experimental therapeutics and clinical oncology. It also covers fields of medical physics, radiology, nursing care, education, technology, health information and health policy as it relates to radiology and oncology.

With this Special issue, the visibility of the contributions presented in the congress will increase to a wider audience, in and out from our BNCT community, and will promote our Society of Neutron Capture Therapy (https://isnct.net/) reinforcing our principal motto “No Frontiers in BNCT”.