HPV acetic acid can help with the precursor of cervical cancer

Viennese researchers have developed a simple and gentler treatment for the precursors of cervical cancer. In order to treat the disease caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), the experts used an acid that is normally used for medical and cosmetic peels ("peel cures"). The results were published in the journal "Obstetrics & Gynecology".

85% trichloroacetic acid is otherwise used for exfoliation
Scientists from the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of the MedUni Vienna and the Vienna General Hospital have developed a new treatment approach against the precursors of cervical cancer. As the CCC informs in a recent release, an 85% trichloroacetic acid is used, which is traditionally used for medical and cosmetic peeling treatments or peels. The researchers were therefore able to show that in more than 80 percent of patients, an application was enough to achieve a complete reduction in symptoms (med: "remission"). In addition, the new approach is easier to implement and very cost-effective compared to other methods, according to the Communication.

Cervical precursors appear to be successfully treated with acetic acid. (Image: fotoliaxrender / fotolia.com)

Classical therapy has so far been in the Konisatio
If a woman is diagnosed with a serious precursor to cervical cancer, usually a surgical procedure is performed in which the altered tissue is cut out of the cervix in a conical shape (conization). The most serious side effect is a significantly increased risk of premature birth. However, this could be prevented with the new approach, and the intervention would be less burdensome and easier to perform in comparison, according to the report of the CCC.

The 85-percent trichloroacetic acid must therefore only be spotted on the affected tissue on the cervix. This is enough to expose the diseased areas with the strong acid. Possible side effects may be mild pain during surgery and vaginal discharge from the sloughed mucosa. According to the experts, this will go back after about two weeks. According to the report, the result of the application was "impressive", because eight weeks later, 82 percent of the women treated showed a complete decrease in symptoms.

Alternative treatment option also for poorer countries
"The result is extremely positive, as the procedure is very easy for experts in the field of HPV-related changes to the cervix," said the study's lead, Paul Speiser of the Department of General Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology of the University Women's Hospital of the MedUni Vienna and the AKH Vienna as well as a member of the CCC. In addition, only a short training time and no special equipment or changes in the operating room infrastructure are needed and the acid itself is not expensive. "This gives us a real alternative in the treatment of this disease, which is also very interesting for poorer countries," continues Speiser.

The 85% trichloroacetic acid has long been used for medical and cosmetic peels. Likewise, it is already being used to treat tissue changes as a result of HPV infection in the anal area. Therefore, Speiser developed the idea to use the substance on the cervix. Although the study of the Viennese scientists could show the effectiveness of the acid, this is not yet sufficient for a broad application. "We still lack more data. In a new study, we will also examine whether the treatment success can be increased by a second treatment, "explains Speiser. Initial data would suggest that re-use of the acid could increase the success rate to over 90 percent, the expert continued.

6 million women are infected with HPV
The main cause of cervical cancer and its precursors is an infection with Human Papillomavirus (HPV). According to the professional association of gynecologists e.V. over 100 different HPV types are known, of which more than 30 can affect the cervix, vagina and the outer genital area. A distinction is made between the usually harmless "low-risk types" and the "high-risk types", which can lead to changes in the cells on the cervix or a precancer. If it is not discovered in time, it may develop into cervical cancer as it progresses. Across Germany, it is estimated that around 6 million women are infected with human papillomavirus, with several hundred thousand women causing a precursor to cervical cancer every year, the association continues. 5,000 to 6,000 women develop cervical cancer every year, nearly 2,000 die as a result. (No)