Randomized controlled study for comparison of efficacy and safety between thermocoagulation and cryotherapy in visual inspection with acetic acid positive cervical lesions

Abstract

Background: Less literature is available on the performance of thermocoagulation for treatment of premalignant cervical lesions and its comparison with cryotherapy from low- and middle-income countries like India. Materials and Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was done in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from August 2018 to September 2019 after obtaining ethical clearance from Institutional Review Board (Reg no: ECR/262/Inst/Up/2013/RR/16) Ref no: 278/Ethics/R. cell-18). A total of 68 women with Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) positive cervical lesion were randomized into two groups. Group A was treated with cryotherapy and Group B was treated with thermocoagulation. Estimates of cure, adverse effects or complications were presented as frequencies, percentages, and mean ± standard deviation. Results: Out of 667 patients, 624 patients underwent VIA testing among which 68 were VIA positive (10.89%, 68/624). The efficacy of thermocoagulation was 93.54% and that of cryotherapy was 90.32%. Immediate side effects were significantly lesser in thermocoagulation group (P = 0.008) in comparison to cryotherapy. Conclusion: Thermocoagulation is better treatment modality than cryotherapy for VIA-positive cervical lesions may not be in terms of efficacy but definitely in terms of patient comfort and safety.