Thermal Ablation Versus Cryotherapy or Loop Excision to Treat Women Positive for Cervical Precancer on Visual Inspection With Acetic Acid Test: Pilot Phase of a Randomised Controlled Trial

(Abstracted from Lancet Oncol2020;21:175–184)The most commonly used approach for women with cervical precancer in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is screening by visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) followed by immediate cryotherapy of VIA-positive women (see-and-treat). There are a number of logistical problems with cryotherapy that have prompted development and evaluation of a cordless, lightweight, and battery-operated thermal ablator that has a much faster treatment duration (20–40 seconds) and does not require a gas supply.