Efficacy and Safety of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy for Treating Cervical and Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia

Persistent HPV infections may cause cervical and vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN and VaIN). Traditional methods might destroy the structure and function of the cervix. 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is a non-invasive targeted therapy. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ALA-PDT for CIN and VaIN and the clearance of HPV. A retrospective study of 303 patients who confirmed CIN or VaIN and received ALA-PDT was conducted. All the patients were followed up at six and twelve months after treatment and then annually thereafter. The effect was evaluated through HPV genotyping, a cytology test, and colposcopy-directed biopsy if necessary. After ALA-PDT, the remission rates for CIN 2, CIN 3, VaIN 2, and VaIN 3 were 90.6%, 88.5%, 87.3%, and 77.8%. For CIN 1, the remission rate at the six-month follow-up was 93.1%. The total HPV clearance rates were 72.5% at the six-month follow-up and 85.7% at the 12-month follow-up. The most common adverse event was vaginal discharge. No severe adverse effect was observed. ALA-PDT is an effective and safe treatment for all grades of CIN and VaIN and is helpful in clearing HPV with minimal side effects. This treatment may not influence fertility and delivery.