Comparing two photodynamic therapy protocols for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapeutical modality which offers a minimally invasive alternative for high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) treatment. this prospective randomized controlled clinical trial aims to compare two PDT protocols for histopathologically similar high-grade CIN treatment. In protocol 1, only ectocervix is treated; in protocol 2, the patients had both the ectocervix and endocervix illuminated simultaneously with LED plus LASER (a cylindrical diffuser fiber was coupled inside the squamocolumnar junction). In both groups was applied 20% MAL overnight and the irradiance delivered was 120 mW/cm2, for 21 minutes, in a fluency rate of 150 J/cm2. after two years of follow-up, group 1 showed 96% cure and group 2, 87%. no significant difference was observed between the two protocols. However, the number of patients who completed the two-year follow-up is still low and we expect better conclusions with more patients followed.