Development, field testing and evaluation of the efficacy of a hand-held, portable and affordable thermo-coagulator to prevent cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries

International Agency For Res On Cancer, Lyon

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Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Successful cervical precancer screening programmes have not been replicated widely in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) for a variety of reasons but largely due to the expense of laboratory based tests and colposcopy. Instead screen and treat programmes have been established relatively widely. These programmes are not trouble or cost free but are relatively inexpensive and successful. The most commonly used combination is Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIA) to screen and cryocautery to treat. Both of these have disadvantages. VIA overcalls abnormality relatively frequently and cryocautery is fraught with difficulties in gas (CO2 or N2O) supply both because it is variably expensive, variably available and difficult to transport. Furthermore the long treatment time of cryocautery (11minutes in total) is perceived as a relative problem compared to Thermal Coagulation (1 - 2 mins) or LLETZ (1-2 minutes). Aims : This project aims to improve screen and treat programmes by discovering the best method of treatment and by reducing the treatment of normal women. The specific aims are 1. To develop, test and produce 200 novel lightweight hand-held cordless, portable battery driven and rechargeable Thermal Coagulators (Liger Medical, Utah). 2. To evaluate the success / failure rate of Thermal Coagulation in a randomised controlled trial comparing thermal coagulation to the existing current standard cryocautery and to Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ aka LEEP) as part of a screen and treat programme in Zambia. 3. To evaluate the user satisfaction scores of the Liger Thermal Coagulator cryocautery as part of a screen and treat programme in Zambia. 4. To determine the rate of over treatment of VIA positive women as revealed by histopathological examination of the randomly assigned excised treatment cases. 5. To determine the value of Z scan to predict normality and abnormality in VIA positive women randomly assigned to excisional therapy Methods : In collaboration with a medical devices company in Utah, we will develop and test the engineering performance of the Liger Thermal Coagulator in vitro and in vivo. We will produce 200+ Liger units and undertake a randomised controlled trial of the device compared to cryocautery and LLETZ using efficacy and user friendliness as endpoints. The inclusion of a study arm of excisional therapy will allow us to quantify the rate of overtreatment in VIA programmes and using the Z scan may allow for a non invasive method of accurately predicting normality and abnormality in VIA positive women