A chemical peel, similar to the treatment used for cosmetic peels, can completely eliminate precancerous lesions caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Researchers at the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital developed the new treatment for the pre-stages of cervical cancer using 85 percent trichloroacetic acid, the same chemical used in medical and cosmetic skin peeling
The study, which was published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that 82 percent of patients experienced complete remission after only one application.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S., and HPV infections cause almost all cervical cancers. Although Gardasil, the vaccine to prevent HIV infection, reduces the risk of infection, it does not eliminate it, and it can't cure an existing infection.

Traditionally, pre-stages of cervical cancer are treated with a surgical procedure called cervical conization, which removes a cone-shaped tissue sample from the cervix, used as a biopsy or to remove precancerous cells. Its major side effect is an increased risk of giving birth prematurely.

Alternative treatments use freezing (liquid nitrogen), heat (using an electrical generator) and lasers. All of these methods are technically complex, and require special equipment and training, which make them expensive.

In comparison, the chemical peel is gentle and simple. The trichloroacetic acid is lightly applied to the affected area of the cervix. Side effects consist of mild discomfort and a discharge caused as the affected cells are shed.

Eight weeks after the procedure, 82 percent of all women were in complete remission.

"The results are extremely promising, since the procedure can be performed very easily by experts in the field of HPV-induced mutations of the cervix," said lead investigator Dr. Paul Speiser.

"Moreover, very little training is needed to perform the procedure," he said. "It does not require any special equipment or other operating theater infrastructure, and the acid itself is very inexpensive. This means that we now have a real alternative for treating this condition and one that would also be very attractive to poorer countries.

"We are going to conduct another study to investigate whether the success of the treatment can be increased by a second application," Speiser said. "Preliminary data suggest that a second treatment could increase the success rate to more than 90 percent."