Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the beta-glucan in women with abnormal cytology, including the women with a positive screening for ASCUS-LSIL furtherly divided in women with positive cytology (ASCUS or LSIL) and negative colposcopy and women with abnormal cytology, positive colposcopy and human papilloma virus (HPV)-CIN1 hystology who opted for follow-up.
Methods: From September 2007 to December 2008, 60 women with ASCUS-LSIL diagnosis were recruited at the ambulatory of Lasersurgery and Cervico-Vaginal Patology, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Policlinico Umberto I of Rome. The women was subdivided in two groups: 1) women with cytological diagnosis of ASCUS or LSIL and negative colposcopy; 2) women with abnormal cytology, positive colposcopy and HPV-CIN1 histology, who opted for follow-up. All the women were treated with two cycles of a daily topical application of beta-glucan for 20 consecutive days with a suspension of 10 days. The effects of beta-glucan were analyzed with colposcopy and cytology at 3.6 and 12 months from the beginning of the therapy.
Results: After 3 months of treatment, of the 30 women with positive cytology and negative colposcopy, 80% with ASCUS diagnosis resulted negative, 35% with LSIL diagnosis resulted negative; after 6 months 100% with ASCUS diagnosis resulted negative, 70% with LSIL diagnosis resulted negative; after 12 months 85% with LSIL diagnosis resulted negative. Of the 30 women with positive cytology, positive colposcopy and HPV-CIN1 histology after 3 months 20% resulted negative, after 6 months 60% resulted negative and after 12 months 80% resulted negative. The persistence of the HPV-CIN1 histology was verified in the 13% of the women. For these women the definitive treatment was the TFD.
Conclusion: Our study demonstrate the effectiveness of the treatment with beta-glucan in the women with ASCUS-LSIL lesions and HPV-CIN1 lesions, increasing of the regressions rate after 12 months of the treatment of the 15-20%.