Nonsurgical treatment of precancerous anal lesions using an infrared coagulator (IRC) has been found safe and effective in a small study, according to an article in the Journal of Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Standard treatment for anal lesions caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) involves surgery, either cutting or burning them away, and is often associated with a painful recovery.  IRC, approved for the treatment of hemorrhoids, tattoo removal, and genital warts, uses short pulses of a narrow beam through a small applicator to treat the affected area. 

In this study, Elizabeth Stier, MD, from the department of surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and her colleagues sought to determine whether treating with IRC would prove both safe and effective at keeping the lesions from returning. They treated 16 men and two women using IRC, and followed up with high-resolution anoscopy exams every three months. A second round of treatment was allowed after the first three-month follow-up, but failure to resolve the lesions at one year was considered a treatment failure.

At the one-year mark, 10 of the patients had a complete treatment response, and the only side effects were mild to moderate pain and bleeding following the procedure.

HPV lesions are more common in people with HIV and are believed to increase a person’s risk for developing anal cancer. The new data from Dr. Stier’s group are similar to a previous study on IRC for anal lesions and suggest that it is a safe and effective treatment method and warrants further study.