Photodynamic therapy of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1-3 and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection with methylaminolevulinate and hexaminolevulinate - A double-blind, dose-finding study

Introduction Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 13 is the precursor of invasive cervical cancer and associated with human papillomavirus infection. Standard treatment is surgical and may be associated with subsequent pregnancy complications. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) of CIN may be an interesting alternative. Material and Methods Patients were treated by PDT using hexaminolevulinate (HAL) and methylaminolevulinate in six dose and light groups and two incubation periods in a double-blind setting. Follow-up examinations were performed after 3, 6, and 12 months with histology, cytology, and HPV testing. Results We included eight patients with CIN1, 23 with CIN2, and 36 with CIN3. Treatment was well tolerated. HAL 40?mM with 3-hour application turned out to be the most-effective group with 67% (10/15) complete response rate. The combined complete and partial response for patients with CIN2 was 83% (20/24). Conclusion PDT with CIN may be a safe and effective procedure for CIN treatment. Lasers Surg. Med. 44: 468474, 2012. (C) Wiley Periodicals, Inc.