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(By CNA reporter Lu Gang-jun, Hsinchu City, Aug. 27) National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), in collaboration with Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, has applied boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) to treat triple-negative breast cancer. Five patients have completed compassionate-use treatment, with follow-up results showing significant tumor shrinkage and minimal damage to normal tissue.

In a press release issued today, NTHU said that its Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Development has expanded the application of BNCT from brain cancer and head and neck cancer to breast cancer. Working with Taipei Veterans General Hospital and Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, the team has completed compassionate-use treatment for five patients with recurrent triple-negative breast cancer.

Chen Yi-wei, director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Taiwan. Among its subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer lacks receptors such as estrogen and progesterone receptors, meaning that some hormone therapies and targeted drugs cannot be used. As a result, treatment options are more limited, and the risk of recurrence is higher.

Chen explained that BNCT is a form of targeted radiation therapy. Patients are first injected with a boron-containing drug that selectively accumulates in tumor cells, after which the tumor is irradiated with a neutron beam. When boron captures neutrons, it produces high-energy particles capable of destroying cancer cells within a range approximately the size of a single cell, thereby reducing the impact on surrounding normal tissue. At present, BNCT is still considered a localized salvage treatment and is not intended to replace surgery or systemic drug therapy.

NTHU said the team has previously conducted BNCT case studies involving patients with recurrent breast cancer and brain metastases. The results showed that tumors in the irradiated areas of breast cancer patients with brain metastases all shrank. Some patients also experienced improvements in symptoms such as pain, weakness, and gait problems. The research findings have been published in the international journal Advances in Radiation Oncology.

Pei Chin-che, a nuclear engineer at NTHU’s Center for Nuclear Science and Technology Development, said that NTHU is currently advancing BNCT through two parallel tracks: clinical trials and emergency compassionate-use treatment. The combined number of cases from both programs is expected to exceed 700. Based on follow-up data from an earlier 437 emergency compassionate-use cases, the overall objective response rate was 70.2%, with the objective response rate among head and neck cancer patients reaching 80%.

NTHU said the team is also continuing to develop boron-containing drugs and treatment protocols for cancers including liver cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma. A boron-containing drug for liver cancer, Boroncide, is currently undergoing the relevant preclinical review process before entering human clinical trials. Looking ahead, NTHU plans to introduce micro modular reactors to expand BNCT research and clinical applications.

(Editor: Chang Ming-kun)

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