Acceptability & Safety of Thermal Ablation in VIA Positive Women to Prevent Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a significant contributor to the incidence and mortality of cancer in women globally, ranking fourth worldwide. However, the establishment of screening programs has led to a significant decrease in cervical cancer rates. Thermal ablation, a novel ablative procedure for precancerous cervical lesions (CIN), also known as cold coagulation or thermocoagulation, aims to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. This study evaluated the safety and acceptability of thermal ablation as a treatment for precancerous cervical lesions in women who tested positive on visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and Lugol’s iodine (VILI). The study enrolled 50 VIA/VILI positive women, who underwent visual evaluation and thermal ablation therapy at a tertiary care hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Interviews were conducted after treatment and 4-6 weeks later to assess the participants’ experiences with anxiety, discomfort, and pain during thermal ablation. The results showed that thermal ablation is a safe and widely accepted procedure among women. 90% of the patients did not experience any pain during the treatment, while 10% reported high pain. The most common mild side effect was vaginal watery discharge, and none of the participants experienced any severe adverse effects requiring hospitalization or urgent care. Additionally, 62% of the women were willing to repeat the procedure if necessary. These findings suggest that thermal ablation is a safe and minor surgical procedure that can improve screening and treatment in a single visit, thus optimizing cervical cancer control, particularly in low-resource settings. As a result, thermal ablation has the potential to be a valuable supplement to current cervical cancer screening and treatment options.