Comparing treatments for cervical cancer

The second largest cause of death for women worldwide is cervical cancer. The majority of these women live in low-and-middle income countries. It is possible to detect and treat these cancers in a very early stage, however, in many areas of the world this treatment is not available. The Dutch non-governmental organization the Female Cancer Foundation strives to increase the number of see-and-treat facilities worldwide. Cryo surgery is the most common treatment modality for this disease, however, since medical gas is required a supply chain has to be established. This can be difficult in rural areas. Thermo coagulation is an alternative treatment modality for cervical cancer that does not require medical gas to function (but electricity) and is therefore expected to suit the context better. Current research shows promising results for this treatment modality, but more data is required.

We developed an experimental setup to compare the treatment effects of both cryo surgery and thermo coagulation on a tissue phantom. This will increase the knowledge about the differences between both techniques, we hope that this will encourage the World Health Organzation to include this device on their recommendation list for treatment of cervical cancers worldwide.

Publications

de Fouw, M., Oosting, R. M., Rutgrink, A., Dekkers, O. M., Peters, A. A. W., & Beltman, J. J. (2019). A systematic review and meta‐analysis of thermal coagulation compared with cryotherapy to treat precancerous cervical lesions in low‐and middle‐income countries. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.