Feasibility Study Comparing One vs Two Probes for Thermal Ablation Among Cervical Cancer Screen Positive Women Living With HIV in C1001P-CS7 Zimbabwe

Overview

Cervical cancer disproportionately affects women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly women living with HIV (WLWH) who have a 6-fold increased risk of cervical cancer compared to women in the general population. While thermal ablation (TA) is a WHO- recommended treatment for cervical precancerous lesions, its efficacy can be suboptimal in WLWH. We will also conduct a feasibility treatment cohort study of up to 300 Zimbabwean WLWH to provide evidence for a larger treatment effectiveness study. The proposed study will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of a two-probe TA technique (endocervical and ectocervical probes) and whether this approach improves treatment outcomes among WLWH compared to one (ectocervical) probe. This innovation has the potential to significantly enhance cervical cancer prevention efforts in high-burden settings and to contribute towards achieving the 90-70-90 goals of the World Health Organization's (WHO) strategy for accelerated elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030.

Participants will first undergo HPV testing or visual assessment with acetic acid at screening. Participants with positive screening results undergo a clinical exam comprising visual inspection with acetic acid, digital imaging, brush biopsies of the ectocervix and the endocervix, and assessment for TA treatment. Participants who have a type 1 transformation zone (TZ1) and are otherwise eligible for TA will receive TA with either one or two probes. Screen positive women will be randomized to: GROUP 1: TA with 1 probe. GROUP 2: TA with 2 probes. Participants are followed up at 6 months with an HPV test, brush biopsies, and visual assessment of the cervix. Participants who are not TA eligible will be referred to local care.