Escharotic Treatment for ECC-positive CIN3 in Childbearing Years: A Case Report

A persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of a high-risk type is necessary for cervical cancer to develop. The severity of the diagnosis, together with colposcopy findings, determines the standard for treatment, and ablative or excisional options may be recommended. Escharotic treatment, together with an oral, anticarcinogenic HPV protocol and a vaginal-suppository protocol, is an alternative treatment, especially for those women of childbearing age who are concerned about the possibility of obstetrical complications associated with the use of loop electrosurgical excision (LEEP). The aim of the current case study was to observe the effect of an ablative escharotic treatment for a woman with severe dysplasia, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3). A 28-y-old female visited the National College of Natural Medicine clinic to obtain suggestions for alternative treatments following a satisfactory colposcopy and a biopsy revealing a high-risk HPV effect, severe dysplasia CIN3, and a positive endocervical curettage (ECC). She refused the recommended standard of care, a LEEP, because of concerns about the potential for future obstetrical complications. As an alternative, she elected to receive an escharotic treatment at a frequency of 2 treatments/wk for 5 wk. In addition to the escharotic treatment, she followed an oral protocol consisting of vitamins and botanical medicine for 1 y and she completed a 12-wk regime of vaginal suppositories following the escharotic. The authors followed her for 2 y. The woman's Papanicolaou (Pap) test at the 6-mo follow-up revealed negative cervical cytology for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy, and her follow-up ECC was negative. Liquid-based Pap results were normal, and HPV testing was negative at her 1-y follow-up. Her Pap continued to remain normal at her 2-y follow-up. For women with high-grade cervical neoplasias and positive ECCs, with satisfactory colposcopies, escharotic treatment, accompanied by oral supplementation, holds promise as an effective alternative to LEEP and other excisional procedures.