Progress in Californium-252 Neutron Brachytherapy

Abstract

The potential of using Cf-252 to treat cancer patients was first described by Shlea and Stoddard in 1965 as a source of neutrons using brachytherapy procedures [Stoddard, 1986]. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the United States and England initiated human clinical trials of Cf-252 neutron brachytherapy (NBT) for treating patients of various cancer types. These earlier trials treated only very few patients and were given up prematurely due to then emerging interest in accelerator-based external beam fast neutron therapy (EBFNT).