Successful BNCT for patients with cutaneous and mucosal melanomas; Report of 4 cases

Morita, Norimasa*; Hiratsuka, Junichi*; Kuwabara, Chiaki*; Aihara, Teruhito*; Ono, Koji*; Fukuda, Hiroshi*; Kumada, Hiroaki; Harada, Tamotsu*; Imajo, Yoshinari*

Since 2003, group of Kawasaki Medical School has conducted BNCT clinical trials on melanomas at the Kyoto University Research Reactor (KUR) and Japan Research Reactor No.4 (JRR-4). We report 4 patients given BNCT for malignant melanomas, 2 with superficial spreading types on the heel, 1 with mucosal melanoma in the nasal cavity, and 1with a melanoma on the vulva and in the vagina. Although 2 patients experienced normal-tissue damage that exceeded the tolerance level, all the participants were cured within a few months of treatment. BNCT was shown to be a promising treatment for mucosal, as well as for cutaneous, melanomas.